


Sergeant Barnes and Colonel Rogers: Lessons in Lust, Longing and Inappropriate Erections.

by darter_blue



Series: Sergeant Barnes and Colonel Rogers: A Love Story [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Anal Sex, Awkward Flirting, BDSM, Bottom Bucky Barnes, Breathplay, Cock Rings, Contracts, Daddy Kink, Face-Fucking, M/M, Modern Bucky Barnes, Nomad Steve Rogers, Pining, Rimming, Rope Bondage, Safe Sane and Consensual, Shrunkyclunks, daddy Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:20:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25667329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darter_blue/pseuds/darter_blue
Summary: Bucky Barnes is a decorated (though young) Sergeant in the United States Army, a Ranger with the 75th regiment, a sniper of unparalleled skill; he still expects his first day as an Avenger to be challenging.He expects the transition to be hard work. He expects some training wheels. He is not at all prepared for the greatest challenge to be one hot as fuck, steely eyed, Colonel Rogers. More specifically, he is not expecting the greatest challenge to be keeping his dick under control whenever Colonel Rogers, with his broad shoulders and his authoritative command and his fucking thick, gorgeous beard, enters into Bucky's immediate vicinity.Even more specifically, Bucky is not expecting to be rendered a drooling pile of rock hard, fall-to-his-knees, full-body-shiver human disaster every time Colonel Rogers closes in, with that look in his eye and that smooth fucking voice, and calls Bucky,son.Yep, so it's Bucky's first day as an Avenger, and so far, as challenges go? Bucky is 0 for 2.For my Stucky Bingo square: E3/ Daddy Kink
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Sergeant Barnes and Colonel Rogers: A Love Story [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996660
Comments: 417
Kudos: 1112
Collections: Stucky Bingo 2020





	1. First Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, welcome, step on up!
> 
> You have made it to the gates of my Daddy Kink fic!
> 
> Beware before you enter here, this is Explicit. It's going to be pretty, very, explicit. But it's building up to it - so it's not going to happen in the first five minutes (patience is a virtue). 
> 
> Also there is an age difference of about ten years between Bucky and Steve, though they are both grown men in their late twenties and early forties (respectively). If that's a squick for you, it's okay to opt out now. I won't be mad.
> 
> This is not Canon compliant, and there are some alternate timeline plot points, but let the story take you there, everything you need to know you can find inside - I promise (and if you're not sure - come find me and ask me - I could talk your ear off about it all, I swear).
> 
> Thanks go out to [Kalee60](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalee60) and [ixalit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ixalit) for their cheerleading and their beta work. You guys are amazing and your support means the world.
> 
> Lastly - just enjoy! Remember my middle name is Fluff. I'm here because I love the romance, the smut is just a bonus ❤

  
  
  


Bucky has been part of this team for literally one fucking day.

So of course this is happening. Of course he’s getting called onto a mission. With Steve goddamn Rogers.  _ Colonel _ Rogers. He's not Captain America anymore, he's Bucky's commanding officer.

He needs to be better than this.

Well, it's what he's thinking desperately and with as much mental capacity as he can manage as he will's his erection to go the fuck away. Because he and the Colonel are the only two people in the locker room right now, and Colonel Rogers is the only one of the two of them still attempting to pull his uniform on (it's tight. It's too fucking small for him, surely). And Bucky is the only one of them trying to turn his standing body against his locker so that the Colonel can't see exactly what Bucky thinks of watching him squeezing six foot and then some of gloriously defined muscle into a ridiculously tight uniform.

Bucky is pretty sure he's failing at it too, if that smug as shit smirk on Colonel Rogers’ face is anything to go by. 

Bucky calculates that the odds of successfully aiming a kill shot through his own eye with his drop point are not great right now (his hands are occupied anyway) and resigns himself to the embarrassment he's about to face. Best to just get it over with. They can laugh about it later, guys do that, right? Captain America's meant to be a nice guy, right? He can laugh about the new guy on the team being so overwhelmed by the sheer masculinity of his boss that he's popped a boner in the locker room ten minutes before they're meant to fly out to a potential war zone. On his first. Day. 

Oh god. It'll be his nickname won't it. Boner boy. 

Well, at least it's better than Gay James. The guys at basic hadn't been real imaginative. Thank god he'd managed to get his team in the Rangers to call him Bucky. And by the time they'd got to Syria with the 75th, it was pretty much just Sergeant Barnes.

He doesn't want to go back to the shitty nickname phase.

Still. He's technically an Avenger now. And even at the near ripe old age of thirty, he's a kid around these guys (including the Black Widow, who looks about twenty but has the wisdom of an immortal) and being the newest member (how did that even happen. What is his life right now) he's fresh meat.

And oh, no, don't think about meat, Bucky, that's what got you into this mess. Think about something gross. Think about... that time Becka got foot fungus in Junior year and used your adjoining bathroom sink to clean her toes out for three straight weeks. 

Okay, but it doesn't help when he looks up and Steve Rogers is fucking staring right at him as he zips up his custom flak jacket with assertive grace. 

How is he real?

Bucky doesn't have a Daddy kink (he  _ doesn't!) _ , but the Colonel is messing with all of his preconceived notions tonight. Like the notion that Bucky is a consummate professional (he's usually never riled up like this) That Bucky has enough self-control not to lust after his boss (that flew out the window the minute the Captain America of Bucky's innocent childhood fantasies walked into the room with swept-back, dirty blond hair and a fucking  _ beard _ . Excuse him, but  _ why is the universe doing this _ ), that Bucky can do his goddamn job and keep his dick in his pants.

At least the last he can do.

His body might be betraying him right now, but he  _ will _ be a professional. He's an Avenger now, that carries a weight greater than just his men, or his country's safety. It's about keeping the world safe.

Except while Bucky is drowning away in his inner turmoil, Steve Rogers has snuck right up on him. Is standing not one foot from him. Is smirking that fucking smirk right down into Bucky's blush filled face.

'You with me, son?' he asks in that voice. That  _ voice _ , smooth, syrup thick, sliding on down Bucky's spine. 

And it's supremely unfair, because the man is barely ten years older than Bucky, but lord in heaven does that word light a fire in Bucky.  _ Son _ . 

The Colonel puts his hand on Bucky's shoulder and the heat of it is searing.

'Ahh... me?' Bucky says, and fuck it all to hell. He is so screwed. 'Ye-yes. I'm with you.'

'Great, let's go,' and he puts just enough force behind his hand to get Bucky moving in the direction he wants him, out the locker room door and towards the hanger. 

They're taking the Quinjet, Bucky, the Colonel, Black Widow, and Scarlet Witch. To the site of some suspicious activity in Nevada. Possibly alien, or time-loopy. Strange frequencies and residual artefacts of loop quantum gravity (Bucky might have got a little lost when Stark was going through the packet) yadda yadda (quantum physics is not his cup of tea). Anyway. Whatever it was, they needed to go investigate that the readings didn't correlate to unfriendlies. And that  _ is _ Bucky's specialty.

And just as Bucky decides it's okay, he's gotten away with it, the Colonel leans in nice and close and practically presses his lips to Bucky's earlobe. 

'We can discuss the insubordination later,' yes, of course this is Bucky's life, ' _ Son _ .' And fuuuck. Bucky can't help the shiver that goes through him as the breath of that word hits his skin. 

Whatever effort had been made to will his dick back down, was all for nothing. It's up and attum now. His pants are a flexible but heavy material, with kevlar like inserts in the crotch and thighs, but it's not enough to keep his problem hidden. 

And honestly, fuck Steve Rogers (obviously, not literally). He absolutely knows what he's doing to Bucky and he's loving it. 

He follows Steve onto the jet and tries his best to walk without making the erection immediately obvious. That's a big fail. Seriously, how is he supposed to hide his dick standing upright in his pants right now. He can't. And the others are waiting. Having to make any kind of excuse for himself being late, or hiding behind the Colonel, is only going to make what's going on downstairs more obvious.

But if he can just  _ think,  _ really think hard enough about making it go away - the humiliation of having to go on his first mission as an Avenger with this following him for the rest of his career is kind of sobering - it might be okay.

So he stands behind the bigger, broader shouldered Colonel (and fucking  _ why _ can’t his mind stop cataloguing every goddamn way Steve Rogers is the perfect specimen of manhood for  _ five minutes _ please) without it looking like he's hiding, and uses the (non-existent) power of his mind so hard that he’s likely to burst a blood vessel in his face. And god, (oh god, please) finally it starts to work. And thank god also that the Colonel has suddenly switched into serious mode, stepping aside to let Bucky come up next to him as they get to the middle of the jet, where Scarlet Witch is sitting in one of the passenger seats and Black Widow is in the cockpit.

'You two remember Sergeant James Barnes?' The Colonel says, coming to a stop and gesturing to Bucky with a nod of his head.

'Do we remember him from having met him three separate times already, one of which was yesterday?' Scarlet Witch asks, her accent lyrical as it rolls on her tongue (and Bucky should probably call her Wanda, if she's giving the Colonel shit about how well she remembers Bucky). 'Yes we remember him.' And she smiles and stands up from where she’d been sitting unbuckled. 'It's nice to have you with us Bucky.'

Oh, had he mentioned for them to call him Bucky?

The way Wanda is looking at him and the quick fingertip she touches to her head has him thinking maybe she just  _ knows _ that the way the Scarlet Witch just  _ knows  _ things. 

And please god don't let her be looking too hard in Bucky's head right now. 

'Yeah, James, hey,' Black Widow,  _ Natasha,  _ says from her pilot's seat, 'You're up front with me for this one.'

Oh good. Okay, that might keep him out of trouble. 

'You heard the lady,' Steve says, with a little shove to Bucky's lower back to propel him forward, 'Up you go.'

Christ, is the man always such a shit?

Bucky looks back to Wanda before turning his attention to Natasha, and if her smiling eyes are any indication, then the answer is yes. He can expect this type of behaviour all the time. 

Joy.

(What is wrong with Bucky that even getting treated with that teasing, bossy tone is doing things to him?)

The Colonel sits down by Wanda behind them as Bucky does a last check through his gear before sitting down for take-off. 

'You've been briefed?' Natasha asks.

'Yes,' Bucky nods, 'As much as was possible in the short time frame. But I'm guessing you guys just need me to point my gun at what you tell me to.' 

'Pretty much, yes,' Natasha says with a smile, 'We don't actually know what we're walking into here. So you're our backup and cover fire while Clint is out of commission.'

Bucky works not to show his worry at the temporary nature of his place in the team. He keeps his hopes set on the fact that once you get called up to the Avengers (and you did a good job and  _ didn't lust after your commanding officer)  _ you’ll be a lifetime member - even if you don't get called onto every single mission. 

'Do you have a gut feeling what it might be?' Bucky asks. He trusts Black Widow's gut feeling over Stark's info packet. 

'I... do,' she says, tilting her head at him, 'but you won't like it.'

'Because it's aliens?' Bucky isn’t super pumped about the idea of fighting aliens.

'Because it might be alternate dimension versions of ourselves...'

'Ah.' Okay yeah. That sounded like some nightmare, twilight zone nonsense. 'Is that... has that happened before?'

At which point the Colonel interrupts and calls out, 'Don't listen to Nat, Sergeant, she's been waiting to run into our doppelgangers for a year now.'

Bucky looks at Natasha, and he doesn't know her that well, but he thinks the slight smirk might be a level of expression she doesn't display often. 

'Am I allowed to ask why that is?' he asks anyway.

'No,' both Natasha and the Colonel say at the same time.

'Because we messed with the timelines about a year ago,' Wanda says quietly from her seat, smiling softly when Bucky turns to her, 'And the carry on effects of that are far reaching.'

Bucky sits with that for a minute. And he decides if there's something about it he needs to know they'll tell him. It's information he might be privy to once he's been with them a bit longer. Presumably, security levels within the team need to be earned.

Which, considering the catastrophic level of events that might necessitate altering timelines, Bucky can appreciate. 

'I might just assume the worst is possible at any given moment and prepare for it...' Bucky decides. Wanda nods sagely and Natasha's smirk intensifies by at least two percent.

The Colonel doesn't react at all except to stare at Bucky, tilt his head slightly, in examination maybe, and then simply cross his arms and lean back into the headrest of his flight chair.

'We can wake him when we get there,' Natasha says, a softness in her voice that wasn't there before. Bucky feels privileged to hear it. 

Still. He's pretty sure the Colonel, Steve Rogers (Bucky can see a little of Captain America left in him like this; relaxed. His face is still as handsome as the recruitment posters had led them all to believe, his body as intimidating. His stubborn, gritty determination radiates off him in waves, even like this) is testing him. Bucky has absolutely no idea if he's passing or failing.

The flight isn't long in the end, and when they touch down in the desert, the Colonel is out of his chair before anyone, checking his gear again and looking more serious than Bucky has seen him yet. 

_ Fuck _ it's hot.

He shakes that thought away and focuses on checking his own rifle (they let him keep his custom modified M16, very sensibly), checks the three, thirty round magazines he keeps in his ammunition belt, the clip on the holster for his drop point, the catch on his Salt 1, his grenades (Stark Tech, tiny and amazingly light for the damage they do), and the load and safety on his Beretta.

They all check their comms and it’s thumbs up from everyone when tests are successful. 

Natasha sets the automated systems on the jet and they disembark before it can lock itself back into sedentary mode. With any luck, this is not an alien invasion, or evil twins from an alternate reality, it's just an inter-dimensional pocket of the Nevada desert that they can report back to Stark on so the scientists can come by and close it all up. Bucky doesn't like how exposed they are with the lack of sightlines and the surrounding hill formations. But this is where the readings are coming from, and the air sure has a static-y, eerie feel to it. 

They're not so lucky, as it turns out, though in fact it's neither aliens nor doppelgangers in the end.

Wanda is the first to react, pretty quickly actually, alerting the others to the presence of enemy soldiers before they can be taken by surprise. She does it quietly, and they close ranks so that she can set a force field around them. 

The Hydra team comes out of nowhere to ambush them (from the ground cover, is Bucky's guess, by the layer of sand they're covered in, though there's no mistaking the insignia on their uniforms) but can't penetrate Wanda's protective cover. She and Steve must have practised together relentlessly, Wanda letting the field slip just long enough, and narrowly enough, for his Shield to fly through - and  _ at _ the enemy soldiers. It takes out two as it whips into them, bounces off and flies back to the Colonel. 

Black Widow takes advantage of her own timely windows to toss her bites at two incoming agents and shock them into unconsciousness. Wanda uses her power to lift three men and close off their blood supply until they too are dropped, knocked completely out. 

Bucky keeps his weapon trained on the men still attacking, though they can't penetrate the force field, and refrains from engaging until he deems the situation to have collapsed enough for him to need to. 

It never happens. The rest of the Hydra team get taken down in short order, and Steve is soon radioing back to Stark that they'll clear the area and get back to them once it's secured for a team of specialists to get in and test the air particle anomalies. 

Some discussion of whether it was Hydra who caused the issue, or if they were here to investigate the abnormalities as well, can be heard in the background as Steve shakes his head and tries to cut them off. Natasha manages it with a sharp word to Stark, and then it's time to secure the area. They separate to maximise their search capabilities and Bucky finds a high point to cover them from, getting to ground and setting his M16 on its bipod to watch his team’s six. 

Wanda moves gracefully through the barren vegetation, fingers waving as they search out further unfriendlies. Natasha prowls, silent and low to the ground. It's Steve who offers the biggest target to the enemy. He’s moving quickly and quietly, and though he's making some effort to duck, he's still ridiculously huge out there. Bucky can't help but keep his eyes swept to Steve, and it's a good thing he does. The black-clad agent is some meters back from the Colonel, hidden low to the ground and behind a shrub-covered mound of terrain. He has barely enough time to lift his gun before Bucky’s fired on him. He keeps it a shot to the shoulder holding the weapon, and the Colonel is fast enough that he's on the agent in seconds, securing him in zip ties at wrists (behind his back) and ankles while he scans the rest of the area.

They take down the remaining stragglers without casualties and remain on alert while a secondary team gets flown in to deal with the scene.

All in all - it's a pretty fucking cosy first mission. Bucky couldn't be happier.

(He didn't  _ do _ much. But he didn't fuck up either. And he managed not to pop any more inappropriate boners. So he's chalking the night up as a rousing success).

Once Maria and her team land, there's some further clean up, some handover stuff, but basically, as primary, they can fly out and home. Their job is done.

And here is where it starts to go sideways for Bucky. Because Wanda takes the copilot chair beside Natasha, which leaves Bucky to take a seat in the cabin, and for some reason the Colonel decides to sidle right up next to him and take the adjoining seat.

They're sitting so close their knees are touching.

And fuck everyone and everything, because the minute Steve leans in close to say, 'Good job out there tonight, Son,' Bucky's blood has rushed to his dick and he may as well be dead.

‘I… yeah, I didn’t do much,’ Bucky replies with a shrug, and it’s true, though mostly he’s trying to shift discreetly enough in his seat that his repeat problem is not obvious.

‘You followed orders,’ the Colonel says, looking Bucky in the eyes and holding his gaze, ‘You trusted your team,’ Bucky is holding his breath at the intensity of that stare, ‘You had my six.’ The barest hint of a real smile ticks up at the corner of his mouth (drawing attention to the roughness of that damn  _ beard _ ).

‘That seems like standard issue soldier duty to me, Sir.’ And did Bucky just imagine the slight flare of heat in the Colonel’s eyes? (Probably). ‘Not sure it qualifies as anything special.’

‘You’d be surprised,’ the Colonel says, emphasising the words by giving a little nudge to Bucky’s knee with his own, ‘Just take the compliment, James, you did good.’

‘Bucky,’ Bucky says without thinking.

‘Bucky?’

‘It’s what my friends call me.’ 

The Colonel raises an eyebrow. ‘Are we friends now?’

Bucky freezes, not sure how to respond ‘I… umm-’

‘Relax,’ he says with a smile, a real smile, and another nudge to Bucky’s knee (is he  _ trying _ to kill Bucky, honestly), ‘I’m sorry kid. We’re friends, of course we are.’

‘Thank you, Sir,’ Bucky says, swallowing the lump forming in his throat at the way the Colonel is looking at him.

‘Call me Steve.’

‘Steve,’ Bucky repeats, tongue heavy on the word.

‘See pal? You take orders like a champ,’ Steve says and finishes it off with a fucking  _ wink _ . No sympathy for Bucky’s traitorous dick. But Bucky thanks all the gods that might be out there looking down on him, because Steve turns away and rests his head back to sleep again, leaving Bucky to do the same while Wanda and Natasha talk quietly to themselves at the front of the jet. 

He may actually survive the flight home.

He does. 

They make it back in time for Bucky to realise he’s actually fallen asleep, not just the cool, I look asleep but really I’m totally alert and can go at a moments notice like the Colonel (Steve), but the startled out of a dream with a snort by the jolt of the slightly sticky landing type of sleep. He can see Natasha looking smug in his periphery and knows she bumped him on purpose. Which is a good sign really. He’s one of them now.

‘Wanna come for a drink with us before you head home, Bucky?’ Natasha asks as they disembark.

‘Is that allowed?’ he asks without thinking. 

‘Fraternising with the team?’ Wanda says with a chuckle, coming up behind them, ‘We encourage it.’

'You encourage which part exactly?' Bucky questions, a little surprised. But then Wanda is likely joking and the image of him and Steve at a bar somewhere, talking too close, leaning into each other’s space, gets pushed waaay to the back of Bucky's mind. It's dangerous, that fantasy, when Bucky is so new to the team, when Steve is his Colonel, when it’s something Steve might not even be into.

'We fight the whole Universe out there together some days, Bucky, it's a good thing to be able to go out and get friendly and build relationships and  _ know _ each other-'

(Bucky can't help but swallow at the implications of  _ knowing _ each other)

'-Because we're a family,' Wanda says.

'Sometimes, we're the only other people who get it, what it takes, to do what we do... you know?' Natasha adds. And all the while, Steve is watching him from the corner of his eye, unpacking gear from the jet so they can close it up and get inside, get to the locker room to change. Get back to some sense of normalcy.

And then come back to do it all again tomorrow.

This is how Bucky ends up sitting opposite his walking wet dream of a commanding officer in a shitty bar at two in the morning on a Wednesday. Wanda and Natasha have left them, Nat to get back to Clint and his broken arm, Wanda to successfully flirt her way home with the waitress whose shift just ended. And it feels like it should be awkward, but it's not. Steve is… not loud or boisterous, and he's lost some of the authoritativeness Bucky had felt dripping off him so pervasively during the mission. This  _ bar _ Steve,  _ relaxed _ Steve, is more comfortable somehow. It is, unfortunately, just as fucking attractive to Bucky as ever. 

'Do you ever worry about it?' Bucky asks as he trails a finger up and down the condensation of his glass.

'You might need to be more specific,' Steve replies as his eyes flick down to where Bucky's hands are unconsciously stroking his beer. Bucky snaps them back to his lap too late to hide it. Steve needs to gesture at him to continue before Bucky even realises he’s forgotten to answer.

'That we left before the real threat presented tonight?' he says finally. It's something Bucky was keenly aware of with his squad, out on active duty, that they could never really switch off. That something worse was always waiting for them around the corner. 

'Ah,' Steve leans back, purses his mouth as he contemplates (Bucky is  _ not _ staring at his lips,  _ don't stare at his lips _ ), 'I do and I don't.'

Bucky raises an eyebrow at that non answer and waits for an elaboration. 

Steve wears his serious face. 'I do worry, but I also have learned to let go. Capable people are out there doing their thing. The Secondary team has our back,' he puts his elbows on the table and leans in, 'And nobody can function switched on, nerves on alert, a hundred percent of the time,' he raises one perfect eyebrow back at Bucky and leans just a little bit closer, the hint of a grin on those plump, pink lips, 'learning to wind down is an integral part of the mission.'

Bucky doesn't even realise how close he's leant himself into Steve's space until he feels the air from Steve's breath on his skin. 'Oh yeah?' He asks, breathless. 

'Oh yeah, ' Steve replies, grin widening. Eyes flashing as Bucky swallows. Jesus. It's so  _ predatory _ .

But  _ no no no _ .

Bucky _is_ _not going home with his commanding officer tonight._

He is putting his foot down. It will not happen. He is not that guy. He doesn't  _ want _ to be that guy.

And he's not even sure if Steve is just testing him still. Because Bucky didn't see any inappropriate erections being sported his way today. And it would likely nix his spot on the team to just fall into bed with a colleague on his first day (though who in their right mind could actually blame him. Honestly). 

Bucky, with more hesitation than would be considered professional, pulls back from Steve's space, back from the warmth of him, the heat in his eyes, the magnetism of all that masculine energy, and rests his back against the cushion of the booth. 

'I guess that's something I'll have to work on,' Bucky says softly, shrugging slightly and feeling his posture sink into the seat. 

'I guess you will,' Steve says, leaning back, slowly, drinking from his bottle as he does, not taking his eyes off Bucky once.

It's… a lot. 

But Bucky is done. He's wrecked. He needs to get home to his bed, and his cat, and get some shut eye before they go in for a thorough debrief with Fury tomorrow. So he throws back the rest of his beer, sets the glass on its coaster and looks back at Steve.

'Time for me to go, I think.'

Is it Bucky’s imagination, or does Steve seem disappointed? 

'You need me to walk you home?' Steve asks, because he might be a shit, but apparently he’s also a fucking gentleman. 

'No!' Bucky says, too forcefully before reigning it back with a smile, 'No, I'm good.'

'Come on, let me get you home safely,' Steve says, and he looks genuinely concerned, 'You had my back today, let me return the favour.'

‘I really, I’m not that far-’

‘All the more reason to let me take you,’ Steve says, downing the last of his beer and returning the bottle to the table with the neck between his fingers, standing up as he does, ‘Come on, I got you,’ and he holds a hand out to Bucky to help him up. Like Bucky can’t just stand, but needs to be escorted out of his seat.

It doesn’t even occur to Bucky not to take it. 

Warm and smooth, elegant fingers that close around Bucky’s, Steve’s hands are so much bigger, soft for a man who looks much rougher. Bucky knows it's a mistake as soon as they touch. Because even this, this innocent point of contact, is  _ delicious _ . And he wants so much more. 

Steve draws Bucky close before letting go of his hand, which Bucky lets drop reluctantly, and then leads him through the bar with that same hand held pressed into the small of Bucky’s back. The warmth from it travels right through him, it’s a wave of heat just carrying Bucky forward. The beer doing small magic to keep all the blood to his upper body, his face no doubt flushed and sweaty. 

And if Bucky perhaps leans back into the pressure of that hand, just a little, he’s not going to admit it. Least of all to himself. Because  _ nothing  _ will come of this. He has to remember that.

When they pass through the door and into the cool night air, Steve drops his hand but makes no effort to create space between them. 

‘So. Where to, Bucky?’ he asks.

‘This way,’ Bucky replies, gesturing to the direction of his apartment with a head tilt.

Away from the smoke and clutter of the bar, Bucky has to shove his hands into the pockets of his jeans to keep himself from reaching out. Steve Rogers in his tactical gear is all muscle, tightly coiled strength and aggression. Steve Rogers in jeans and a maroon henley, buttons hanging open, is something else entirely; casual grace and effortless perfection. Bucky wants all of it up close, wants to pull it down on top of him, wants to be crushed under the weight of it, held in the warmth of it.

He takes a step back, hands still in his pockets, and pivots on one sneaker-clad foot. Let Steve follow him if he has to, but Bucky needs to get himself home right now. And locked into his apartment. 

Of course, Steve Rogers is Captain America. He’s a supersoldier. Also his legs go for days, his stride is no joke. Bucky can walk as fast as he likes, Steve will be right there beside him. 

It’s sort of nice actually. 

They send furtive glances towards each other as they walk, but they don’t talk. Which is fine by Bucky. He’s likely to say something completely idiotic anyway. Best to keep his mouth shut. 

It’s not until they come to a stop outside the door to Bucky’s apartment building, as Bucky steps up and digs his key from his back pocket, that Steve takes a step forward, slides a hand across Bucky’s waist to rest over his hip and leans in to whisper, 'Just so you know,' so close Bucky can feel the rasp of that beard against his cheek, ‘I'm letting you off with a warning for your locker room antics today.'

And  _ oh _ . Oh  _ no. _

'But next time, if you need a hand with anything,  _ Son,  _ you just let me know.'

Bucky has to close his eyes. His head falls back to expose the long line of his neck. He feels Steve linger there, nose pressed against that spot below his ear that sets every nerve in his body alight. And then just like that, Steve pulls back.

‘Goodnight, Bucky.’

Bucky doesn’t even mean to say, ‘Goodnight, Sir,’ but the words have left his mouth before he can stop them. And he stands there and watches a grinning Steve Rogers turn around and walk away. 

Shaking his head and forcing his feet forward, Bucky fumbles the key into the lock and stumbles into the lobby of his building. He takes the stairs because he needs to burn off the sudden influx of excess energy. He pushes into his apartment and shuts and locks the door behind him, and then slides down it and onto the floor. Alpine finds him there, to climb on and curl up in his lap.

‘Hey girl,’ he says, running his hand down her soft, white fur, ‘Sorry I took so long.’

He gets a few claws to his jeans for that, entirely deserved, and hoists them both up to grab a glass of water for his bedside table. He lets Alpine slink onto the covers and then collapses into bed next to her, fully dressed and skin on fire. Slowly, he allows one hand to glide down his stomach, across his waist and down to his hip, fingers light and teasing, to rest at the spot where Steve had held him, closes his eyes to the memory of it, and then rolls over and buries his head in the pillow. 

Steve Rogers is going to be the death of him.

He’s not even mad about it. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wraps up Chapter One folks! Chapter two will arrive promptly next Sunday, same time (whichever time-zone you happen to be in). 
> 
> Your patience will be rewarded!
> 
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> 
> Big hugs everyone ❤


	2. So much trouble...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'A word, Sergeant Barnes?' Steve says sharply before Bucky can decide whether to step toward the exit or turn around.
> 
> It's demanding, a little too aggressive, and it sends a shiver right through Bucky.
> 
> He likes it, he likes it so much (what is wrong with him?) fuuuuck, it makes Bucky want to bare his throat to him.
> 
> He's in so much trouble...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two folks...
> 
> Big thanks again to [Kalee60](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalee60) for helping shape this chapter and make it what it is, and [ixalit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ixalit) for the cheerleading and the brilliant beta work. 
> 
> Well, what are you waiting for? Dive in!! Go go go!
> 
> 😘

  
  


By the time Bucky makes it to the full debrief the next morning, he's the last to arrive. Which is not his fault at all, Alpine had refused to come out from under the bed where she was holding his phone hostage. Last time he left her like that, she dialled an international number and racked up a three hundred dollar bill. He now makes an effort to keep his cell well out of her reach.

Of course he failed  _ today _ , when it counts, when he's trying to make a good impression. (On  _ Fury _ that is _ , _ not on Steve. He has no interest level above a totally average number as to what kind of impression he makes on  _ Steve. _ ) 

He's not actually  _ late  _ late. He makes it to the Avengers complex with minutes to spare and has to run to the meeting room. He gets lost twice and skids to a stop before reaching the door, running fingers through the coif of his wavy hair to tame it back ( it's feeling particularly fluffy right now) and smoothing down the front of his (formerly) crisp white shirt. 

He takes a breath and opens onto the group sitting around a large oval table. Steve, Wanda, and Natasha sit on one side, with Maria, Fury, and a delicately beautiful brunette woman Bucky doesn't yet know, on the other.

They all turn to face him as he steps inside, but their faces are politely neutral, so Bucky mentions nothing and creeps as quietly into the spare seat next to Steve as he can, sinking into it and holding his breath. 

'Thank you for finally joining us, Sergeant,' Fury says in that brooks-no-argument tone of his. Bucky simply nods in reply (best not to engage). 'Doctor Foster is here to go through the specifics of what was found at the site of the anomaly last night,' Fury turns to the brunette, Doctor Foster, Bucky assumes, and gestures for her to take the floor, 'Thank you, Doctor.'

'Thank you, Mister Fury. Agent Fury… Director?' The doctor fumbles charmingly, blushing at the misstep.

'Just Fury is fine, Doc,' Fury says, gentler than Bucky has seen him so far (still gruff, just not super aggressively so), 'Tell us what you know.'

'Well, the pocket of atmosphere where the loop quantum gravity effects were strongest does indicate a timeline rift.'

Bucky watches both Steve and Natasha shut their eyes at that news, briefly, while Wanda tilts her head in thought. Maria is also watching their reactions and raises her eyebrows at Bucky. It's more of a question than an assertion, though, so Bucky raises his right back. Like, what is she expecting? He knows nothing. It puts an extremely small smile on her face. 

Fury has eyes only for the Doc, and he looks serious. Maybe Bucky should be paying better attention…

'Do you have any way to measure if someone or something came through while it was open?' Steve asks. Which seems like an excellent question (oh Jesus, Barnes, get your head out of his ass).

(Oh god, don't think about his  _ ass. _ )

Christ. 

'Not with any dependability, no,' the Doc says with a disappointed frown. (It's cute on her. How is everyone in this facility so attractive? Is there some kind of beauty requirement to get on the team…?)

'I felt… a strange sort of emptiness there,' Wanda says, watching Doctor Foster and unconsciously opening and closing her fists, 'But in a… well, in an  _ oppressive  _ way…'

She looks frustrated by her own lack of articulation, and Steve, sitting next to her, lays a comforting hand on her shoulder.

'We're all still learning about this, Wanda,' he says in his rich, soothingly deep voice, 'Your gut feeling is still better than half our instrumentation.'

'That's true,' the Doc says with a soft smile, 'It's interesting that you say an “emptiness,” like something has taken some piece of the atmosphere away…'

'Yes,' Wanda nods, a little more confident, 'It felt like a void of some kind. Maybe I could go back? Try and feel it out more exhaustively?'

'Good idea,' Fury says with a sense of finality. 'Barnes, I want you, Doc and Wanda on the jet in an hour. You keep them covered.'

'Yes Sir!' Bucky answers immediately, thrilled to have a second mission so soon.

Steve does not look so thrilled.

'And me,' he says, voice still syrup rich, but even deeper than usual.

'No, I need you here in case something came through.' Fury says, barely looking at Steve as he does (and  _ oh _ , Steve does  _ not _ like that). 'You need to be ready to gear up for an emergency.'

'You've got Tony for that,' Steve argues, eyebrows drawn.

'I want you, Colonel,' Fury says, and there's that finality again, 'Understood?'

'Understood,' Steve says, clipped and a little less than respectful. His cheeks are pink, and Bucky wouldn't be surprised if actual smoke started rising from his head. 

But the conversation is over as Fury stands abruptly with a terse, 'Dismissed,' to the room at large, and exits in a flurry of black leather and big dick energy.

Maria is the first to stand. 'I'll get them to prep the jet for you,' she says with a soft pat to Doctor Foster's shoulder.

'Thanks, Maria,' the Doc says in return, a little distracted by a handful of gadgetry on the table she's attempting to sort through and put into a backpack. 'I've got some equipment to grab, can I meet you guys on the tarmac in like forty-five minutes?' She looks up at Bucky and Wanda expectantly.

'Sounds good, Doctor Foster,' Bucky replies, thinking of how he’ll need to hightail it to the locker room to get geared up in time.

'No problem, Jane,' Wanda adds, bumping her shoulder into Bucky gently as she says, 'I'll get changed and meet you there too.'

'Affirmative,' Bucky says, smiling, giving her a lazy salute and making her laugh.

Natasha pushes past them with a sharp elbow, a, 'Later, bitches,' and an overt wink. Bucky and Wanda catch each other’s eyes and shake their smiling heads at her.

Bucky waits to let the others through the door first and feels Steve sidle up behind him, standing close enough to share body heat.

'A word, Sergeant Barnes?' He says sharply before Bucky can decide whether to step toward the exit or turn around.

It's demanding, a little too aggressive, and it sends a shiver right through Bucky.

He likes it, he likes it so much (what is  _ wrong _ with him?) fuuuuck, it makes Bucky want to bare his throat to him.

He's in so much trouble.

'Yes Sir?' says Bucky, as innocently as he can manage, turning around to fully face Steve.

He has to tilt his head up, Steve is so close, and just enough taller than Bucky to warrant it.

Steve looks as stern as Bucky’s ever seen him, and he wills his traitorous dick to  _ stay the fuck down. _

'Keep your eyes open, stay focussed out there,' Steve orders, 'I want another mission like last night, understood?'

'Understood, Sir,' Bucky says, a little too breathless, a little bemused, because it seems like Steve is  _ worried _ about him.

'Good,' Steve nods, 'I want everyone back in one piece.'

'I'll do my best, Colonel,' Bucky replies. He really does try to sound professional, but it comes out too fond. 

Steve's face relaxes just a little at the sentiment.

'I trust you,' Steve says, too softly, and ooooh  _ boy _ does that hit a pocket of  _ something _ in Bucky. He closes his eyes at the overwhelming sensation for just a fraction of a second too long to go unnoticed. 

And Steve's eyes flash that brilliant blue when Bucky finally meets them.

'You better run, Buck, or you'll miss your flight.' And what the fuck kind of world is Bucky living in where Steve Rogers just  _ lays  _ his hand on the small of Bucky's back, low enough that he’s touching the curve of Bucky's ass with the tips of his fingers, and guides Bucky to turn around and walk towards the door. And  _ does. Not. Let. Go.  _

He's still resting his hand there, just enough pressure to tempt Bucky to arch into it, when he leans in from behind to say right in Bucky's ear, 'Be good for me, Bucky.'

And then honest to god fucking  _ laughs _ , low and smoky, at the full-body shiver that it produces in Bucky. 

It's the Universe, plotting against him again. It's some kind of karmic retribution, for Bucky playing too fast and loose with all those boys’ hearts when he was growing up. 

And for being too goddamn fucking  _ easy _ to rile up by his greek god-like commanding officer. 

And for wanting so badly to just lean back into that hard body, that protective warmth, and let himself get taken.

Boy does he want to.

But he doesn't do it. He keeps it together. He straightens his back (on fire under Steve's hand), he nods his head once, twice for luck, and he takes a step forward.

'I'll be good,' he says, turning his head just enough to catch Steve in his periphery before he steps away, 'I'm always good.'

  
  


Bucky’s not sure how he managed to walk down the  _ hallway _ , but he somehow made it all the way across the compound before stopping to catch his breath. He got to make the dramatic exit this time,  _ and _ Steve got an eyeful of Bucky’s ass in his favourite pants. 

He's not alone in the locker room once he gets there, but with no deliciously bearded man candy to distract him, gearing up is quick and efficient. He makes it to the Jet with Wanda and the Doc and lets them sit up front so he can go over the debrief packet while they fly. 

It reads as if the time-loopy bubbles have been popping in and out of a random handful of locations across the planet for a while. 

And so far the team has nothing.

Bucky is left feeling nervous for no good reason, has him on high alert, ready to cover the Doc and Wanda.

Something about all of it just feels  _ off _ . 

Turns out, he isn’t necessarily… wrong. 

They land within the site perimeters that Maria had organised overnight. There’s a good setup on the ground, with a team still cataloguing and tracing what they can find, but Wanda and Doctor Foster have a different approach to take. Once off the plane, Bucky takes point to make sure nothing unfriendly gets the jump on them while they investigate.

'It was here, Jane,' Wanda says to Doctor Foster, pointing out the spot she had been searching for, 'Can you feel it?'

'It does feel… strange. Let me get some readings.' The Doc grabs something from her backpack, dropping it at her feet to squat down and root around for another instrument which she connects and then slings the bag back over her shoulder. Whatever it is doesn't make any noise, doesn't offer any immediate readings that Bucky can see, but the Doc seems intrigued by it, so he figures there's something going on. 

It carries her forward, and she and Wanda stick close together as they step further from the landing site and into the undulating desert terrain.

Bucky can feel it too, whatever it is that Wanda's picking up on. The energy in the air, it's wrong somehow.

But he doesn't let the feeling steal focus. Bucky keeps his eyes trained to every section of the earth around them, looking for signs of activity or movement. 

Which is how he’s the first to see it.

They're a good bit farther out now, half a click from where Stark's scientists have set up camp, close to where Bucky had shot the Hydra agent targeting Steve last night. It's not the movement that catches his eye, but more the way the wind is hitting the grass wrong in one particular spot, not moving it like it should be. And when he looks closer, he sees colours behind the shrubbery, colours with no business being in the Nevada desert: silver and red. He uses a hand signal to stop Wanda and the Doc before they get any closer, but Wanda stops before the signal anyway. In his periphery, Bucky can see her looking at him with apprehension. 

He shakes his head at her and she puts a hand to Doctor Foster's forearm, signaling her to stay absolutely still.

Bucky feels the air change as Wanda's forcefield goes up around them, and he thinks a ‘thank you’ loudly at her in hopes that she catches it. 

But the majority of his attention is now on the foreign object in the brush. He can't see enough of it from this far back, so he signals to Wanda that he's moving forward, and she signals back to take it slow. 

He gets into position on higher ground, sets up his bipod and scope as quickly as he’s capable without fucking it up. When he’s able to get a good angle on it, he can see that it's a body. A person. Or at least… it was one. 

It's not moving, face down in the dirt, head twisted awkwardly. It's covered pretty well by the vegetation, but there's no way it was here last night. Bucky’s certain they would have seen it. 

Wouldn't they?

He sweeps the area as best he can from his vantage point. He can't see anything else lurking in the shadows, but that doesn't mean they're alone.

Bucky gets on comms and says softly to Wanda, 'It's a body. I can't tell who or even if it's alive.'

'I don't feel anything…' Wanda says, hesitation and frustration clear in the harsher pull of her accent.

'I don't see anything else out here, but I can't be sure.' 

'Maybe that means they're dead?' Doctor Foster says softly, 'If you don't feel anything, I mean.'

'I don't advise we take that chance, Doc,' Bucky says back, he thinks they should call for backup, but he also knows Wanda is probably capable of dealing with it on her own. 'Your call, Wanda. Move in, or back up?'

'I don't like that I can't feel anything.' Wanda looks over to him, he can feel it, but he doesn't take his eyes from his scope. 'I want to get closer.'

'I got you covered,' he assures her, and nods with the barest of movements to let her know he's on board.

'Jane, don't move, okay? Stay down,' Wanda says, and Bucky catches her in his periphery, making her way to the body. As she closes in he keeps up his short intermittent sweeps of the area, but instinct is telling him there’s nothing else out here. 

Wanda stops six feet back from the still unmoving body and holds her hands out, 'There's breathing.'

'Should we call it in?'

Wanda moves even closer, and Bucky keeps his breath steady and his hands still, even as his mind wants to wander into nervous territory.

'It's a man,' Wanda's whisper can barely be heard over the comm, 'I don't recognise his uniform.'

She holds a hand out towards the man and Bucky watches through the scope to see the face shield of the closed helmet pop open.

His eyes are closed. He's pale, Caucasian. Doesn't look too good if the blue tinge in his skin tone is anything to go by. Wanda gets within touching distance, and that's when his eyes drag open, slowly, like it hurts.

Bucky has his finger on the trigger ready to squeeze, but Wanda holds her hand out to the man, whose eyes shift sluggishly back and forth, then back to Wanda.

Bucky sees him struggle to speak, and whatever he manages to say has Wanda jumping back immediately, hand now holding a field around the man and herself (and Bucky, and Doctor Foster).

'Bucky call it in!' Wanda calls into the comm, and he wastes no time opening up a line to Fury and requesting backup. ASAP. 

Wanda waits with the force-field in place as Bucky keeps her covered, continuing to sweep the area. Doctor Foster sidles up beside him so that Wanda only needs to keep one field around them both. 

'You okay, Doc?'

'I'm okay,' she says quietly, lying down beside him with her backpack under her chest, 'And you can call me Jane.'

'Jane. Bucky, nice to meet you.'

'Oh god, don't tell me I was so busy talking physics I never introduced myself!' Jane says in a rush.

'It's fine,' Bucky smiles, 'I can understand being sidetracked by the possibility of evil doppelgangers travelling through rips in time and space.' 

Jane laughs softly under her breath. But before she gets a chance to reply, a rich deep voice slides down Bucky's comm, and he involuntarily sharpens his position.

'What's the situation?' Steve asks, terse, no lead-in. 

'Area’s secured, only one potential enemy in sight, on ground,' Bucky speaks as clearly as possible while keeping the volume down. 'Wanda has him secured and Doc and I are elevated, keeping cover.'

'Okay. Fury's got the team on alert, but he's not evacuating until we have a better idea what we're dealing with.' Steve sounds a little calmer now, his words coming slower, rounding out, 'I'm on my way there.'

'You're coming?' Bucky says before thinking and then closes his eyes to that tone. Jane is looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, and he's pretty sure he just sounded like a puppy hearing his master's keys in the door.

'Yeah, Buck, I'm closing in.' Bucky can't explain why that voice and those words have his muscles relaxing and his chest tightening at the same time. 'Keep sharp. See you soon.'

He's doing his best to pretend that conversation didn't just happen over comms, but the way Jane is looking at him, his little crush is no secret. 

Fucking fuck.

'What was that?' Jane whispers beside him.

'What was what?' he says, feigning innocence.

'Are you and Steve a  _ thing _ ?'

Bucky almost loses his sight-line at the temptation to full-body flinch and instead just says emphatically, 'No!'

'Ah huh, right, he just called in to let you know he was coming?'

'Protocol,' Bucky says, deadpan.

'Wouldn't it be protocol to go to Wanda?'

Bucky takes his eyes off the scope for long enough to narrow them in Jane's direction. She smiles at him and shakes her head, and they speak no more of it. 

And then there’s more chatter over comms. Satellite footage corroborates Bucky's surveillance; there's no one out there that they can't account for except their unconscious friend - still safe under Wanda's control. 

'You two should come down here, ' Wanda suggests, and when Bucky looks to Jane she nods.

'Sure. I'd like to get some readings from the area around the subject,' Jane says, shifting focus between Bucky, Wanda, her equipment, and base camp.

Bucky thinks about asking if it'd be better to wait until their backup arrives. But he trusts Wanda, and he trusts the info coming in from the team. If it's an acceptable risk to them, It's acceptable to Bucky.

They pack up and get moving, heading down to Wanda slowly so she can keep their fields up, merging them once they get closer together. 

Up close, the uniform on the guy isn't any more familiar to Bucky. It's grey, black, and deep red. The now open faced metal helmet has a strange shape, conical at the front with what looks like a breathing apparatus. It's old school and futuristic at the same time and looks very science fiction-y to Bucky.

Then again, he's now a casual member of a team of super-powered meta-humans, one of whom turns into a giant green rage monster when he's mad. One with mind control and telekinesis. Another that slept frozen in ice for seventy years before being deforested and put back to work.

(And god, Captain America had  _ always  _ been fascinating to Bucky, who grew up reading his comics and thinking he’d died saving his country. Finding out while deployed overseas that the Captain was alive and fighting Aliens coming through an open wormhole around the corner from Bucky’s family home? Joining the Captain's team and popping wildly inappropriate boners at the sight of his rugged facial hair? Yeah, Bucky has some issues to work out.)

Wanda looks spooked - which is honestly the thing that has Bucky feeling the most nervous. He's not sure why she can't sense anything about this guy - so he can't imagine how lost she must be feeling right now. 

Jane has her gadgets out and is humming and har-ring at whatever it information they're giving her.

Bucky keeps his eyes open and his mind sharp. He's keeping position - it's his job to offer cover today, his  _ sole _ job, so he's going to do that no matter what.

Which is going great. And then the Quinjet lands, and his brain immediately zeroes in on Steve.

He doesn't let it show, though. He'll never live it down if Jane catches the puppy dog eyes he's about to make at Steve just turning up (because it's his fucking  _ job _ ), and god knows how much Wanda is getting (though she probably couldn't give two shits about Bucky's randomly thirsty thoughts right now), and so yeah. He's keeping it to himself as best he can.

Both Steve and Nat come walking their way. Bucky can’t see anyone else, so any other personnel that might have flown in must be staying at base camp. What he  _ does _ see is that ridiculously tight uniform on that ridiculously large body, walking beside Natasha's svelte black number against the blonde of her slick bob. He's only been with the Avengers for two days, but it already feels to him like the rest of his team has now arrived.

It's going to be so hard to leave them after this is over.

Steve approaches and looks Bucky up and down before checking in on Jane and Wanda. He gives a determined nod and his frown dissipates at whatever he finds between the three of them, and then he's scanning the guy on the ground, before turning back to Wanda.

'What happened?' he asks, and again there’s no lead-in. No hello.

'Bucky saw him,' Wanda says, tearing her eyes away from the guy to look up at Steve. She’s so small next to him. It's easy to forget how small she is, how  _ young _ she is, when she takes charge like she does. Having Steve there seems to have given her permission to deflate. 'I didn't even feel him, Steve,' her eyes are wide and she looks away, back to the ground. 'What does that mean?'

'We don't know,' Steve says, gentling his tone by a fraction, 'And we probably won't until we’ve done some investigation. Let's not jump to any conclusions.' He looks over at Jane, 'Do we know where he came from?'

'There's nothing I can determine from what I've got here. I'll have to coordinate with everyone else's readings back at base, and even then. I mean... we don't have anything to extrapolate against,' she shakes her head, 'We just don't know enough yet about how it works. Why it’s happening.'

'Has he said anything?' Natasha asks, looking down at the man on the ground, expression as flat as ever.

Wanda doesn't look away from where they are all now looking, 'He did.'

They all wait a beat for her to continue.

'Wanda?' Steve presses when they realise no answer is coming. 

'He said... he saw me and he said... “hey, Brat”'

Bucky knows he's missing something when Steve visibly flinches.

'But it's not...' Natasha starts but doesn't finish her thought.

'It's not Pietro,' Wanda answers anyway. 'I don't know him. Whoever he is, I've never seen him before.'

Bucky can feel the tension like a blanket over them. He's never been a fan of it.

'How is it possible we didn't see him last night?' he asks, to break the silence. 'Could he have come through after we left?'

'I don't think so,' Jane answers, 'The readings are tapering off from what the team catalogued yesterday. It doesn't make sense that there would have been another event in between.'

Steve kneels down to the man, gets close enough to take a pulse by making space between the glove and sleeve to reach bare skin.

'He needs medical attention,' Steve looks up at Natasha, 'We need to get him back to the tower.'

'I want to come,' Wanda says immediately.

'We can all go,' Steve says, for some reason, Steve looks directly at Bucky. 'The area's secured, we don't need to stay, Maria's got it covered.' 

Steve has Natasha run back to base for a stretcher so they can transfer and secure the man, and when she returns, Steve insists to be the only one to approach and secure the patient. As Steve is lifting him onto the stretcher, the man groans, regaining consciousness and struggling to drag his eyes open just as slowly as he had earlier.

He takes a good look at Steve and seems to instantly ease into the hold, ‘Hey Cap.’

Steve looks up at Wanda and Natasha with eyebrows raised, then quickly at Bucky before turning back to the man.

Without conscious thought, Bucky’s moving forward, steadily training his weapon on the stranger. The guy doesn’t seem too perturbed about it, though. He follows Steve’s eye line to look at them all in turn and smile, ‘Hey guys,’ before looking at Bucky and - coughing wetly - smiling, ‘I like your hair short, Buck.’

Bucky is struck between wanting to take an even more aggressive stance, and wanting to reach out to the man, so clearly in pain and seemingly completely aware of who they all are and not at all afraid of being in their custody.

He chooses to remain firmly as is, and Steve is watching him with narrowed eyes, looking between the guy and Bucky as if he’s aware of that exact thought process. And he isn’t super happy about it.

Not that it matters. The guy has slipped back into unconsciousness before Steve’s eyes make it back to him, and he finishes strapping him down. Wanda lifts the whole thing with a wave of her hand to push it, floating through the air, back to the Quinjet so they can get him back to the complex and medical team.

It's not ‘til they're all in the jet, on their way back to Avengers HQ, the mysterious man strapped into a gurney and fastened into the right passenger side of the jet's hanger, that Steve pulls Bucky to the back of the plane and leans in close.

'Good job again out there today, Sergeant.' Steve is leaning over Bucky, crowding him against the gear lockers at the back of the jet. Bucky doesn't have a read on him yet, his expression is neutral. But Steve is behaving awfully possessive all of a sudden.

'You really need to stop complimenting me for things I'm not doing,' Bucky says, because truly, he stuck to his MO today. He did nothing a hundred other soldiers wouldn't have done in his place.

'Are you questioning my judgement?' Steve leans even closer as he asks. The words are harsh but the tone is buttery smooth, so deep and so filthy. 

'No, Sir,' and Bucky has no control over his answers now, he's surprised he's still standing at this point.

'Good, because, _Son_?’ the glint in Steve’s eyes is like white fire, ‘I'm gonna compliment you for anything and everything I deem appropriate, you understand?'

Bucky’s legs are going to give out on him. 'I do, Sir.'

Steve leans impossibly closer - their lips are almost touching now - and whispers, 'Good boy.'

Oh god.

Bucky can't do this.

He doesn't trust any words that might come out of his mouth right now. They're in the fucking jet. They're mere feet away from Natasha, whom Bucky is sure can hear everything they're saying - no matter how low Steve has kept his voice. No matter how far back Steve has corralled them.

He looks up at the cockpit and Jane turns quickly away from where she'd clearly been watching them. It's only Wanda that seems completely uninterested in Bucky and Steve's conversation, and that's because she’s busy revisiting past trauma over a man who they only know  _ isn't  _ Pietro (Bucky doesn't know much about Wanda’s past - it's more closely guarded than Natasha's - so he's totally lost on the details). That, and she's probably read it all from their minds already and is totally over the fake drama they're creating in their little bubble back here.

When Bucky hasn't directly acknowledged Steve's follow up question (it was one word, and Bucky honestly didn't even hear it), he grips Bucky's chin in his long, strong fingers and turns his face so their noses are literally touching.

Steve’s grip is tight enough that it hurts. That it might actually leave a bruise. And oh, fuck. Oh fuck no, please do  _ not _ choose this exact moment to spring to life, Bucky implores his dick,  _ please do not do this to me now. _

But it's too late. It's doing it. It's tenting his pants obscenely and Steve has torn his attention away from Bucky's face to look down and witness the exact amount of turned-on that his grip on Bucky's chin is the cause of. And Bucky is so fucking mad at himself, and at Steve for doing this to him in the jet, that a part of him he wants to rip his face away, out of Steve's grip. But Jesus  _ fuck, _ most of him is so desperate to fall to his fucking knees right now he’s terrified he won’t be able to stop himself.

He would really like the jet to just eject him into a free-fall at thirty-five thousand feet right now, so he can escape this moment. 

He should back away from Steve, from his insane attraction. But he wants to just fall and fuck the consequences, fuck his dignity, give into everything Steve is asking of him, teasing him for, and let himself get ruined. 

Steve is watching Bucky with an intensity he’s never experienced before. His pupils are so dilated there’s barely a ring of bright blue iris to keep Bucky from drowning in them.

And Bucky can’t stop himself from leaning into the bulk of Steve, from pressing into the grip of his fingers. Can’t help looking up at Steve from under his lashes and giving him the best fucking shit-eating smirk he is capable of. Doesn’t actually even  _ want _ to stop himself from saying, voice low and breathless, ‘What are you gonna do, Sir? Fuck me right here?’

Steve’s whole body tenses up like Bucky has flicked a switch. He shuts his eyes, his grip on Bucky’s chin tightens, and he has to turn his head away and breathe out slowly before he’s able to look back at Bucky with a fix on his emotions. 

(Bucky knows that's not actually what Steve wants. Steve wants Bucky to know he's got Bucky wrapped around his finger. And that's fine, for play. But it's not fine for reality. And if Steve is serious about even pursuing a casual relationship with Bucky - and it's becoming increasingly likely he might be - he needs to know there are rules, and Bucky has as much control over them as Steve does.)

‘You…’ he starts, and then stops to take another deep breath, drops his voice right down to a whisper, ‘You are in  _ so _ much trouble, Son.’

And Bucky can see from Steve’s face that he means it. And he just knows that it means all manner of shit is about to hit the fan. But he is in  _ love _ with this feeling. Wants to lock himself up in it and let it pulverise him.

And then suddenly Steve is letting go, taking a step back. ‘I mean it,’ he says, quiet but with so much heat, ‘Just not  _ yet _ .’

'Well,’ Bucky says, straightening up, lifting his chin, ‘You know where to find me.'

Steve smiles at that, the predatory grin that Bucky has come to recognise means very, very good things. 'I do,’ he says, taking another step back before turning away from Bucky, back towards the others at the front of the plane (where they’re all pretending not to have heard any of what just happened). ‘And I promise you, Buck,’ he turns back to Bucky, ‘You’re insubordination is gonna be  _ punished _ .’

Yeah. Bucky is so fucked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so you've reached the half way point! Just 2 chapters to go!!
> 
> If you wanna come chat with me, you can find me [here](https://darter-blue.tumblr.com/) on tumblr or [here](https://twitter.com/beclouise13) on twitter
> 
> Drop a comment - it fuels the fires of my creative process (and I just love to hear from you ❤)
> 
> See you next week, same time, same channel 😚


	3. 'You could hold me down'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'And it's no game - you don't question my judgement about the performance of my team out in the field,' Steve rests his hands on his hips. 'That includes yourself.' And oh, the words are sharp and the tone is heavy and Bucky is paying attention, he is, but his eyes have followed Steve’s hands to his waist. His waist that’s accentuated by the tapered uniform, curving into the swell of an amazing ass, leading down to thick thighs, testing the seams of those tight, tight pants. Bucky's imagining what it would feel like to lie underneath them, have them pinning him down, bracketing his immobilised che- 'Bucky, are you not listen-''
> 
> 'You could hold me down,' Bucky blurts, true disaster that he is. And he can't take it back, the words are out there. Steve has stopped mid sentence, mouth open, eyebrows raised high. 'I mean, umm…'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dearest readers, here you are, chapter three...
> 
> As always, huge thanks go out to my greatest friend [Kalee60](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalee60) for keeping me and this fic on track, and [ixalit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ixalit) for the tirelessly brilliant beta work, using his magic to make me look good ❤
> 
> Ooooh, enjoy!

Bucky spends the rest of the flight home in a state of mild panic. Steve said he’s going to get punished... But did he mean in like, a sexy way? Or is Steve going to be filing some kind of complaint against him for inappropriate workplace behaviour? No. That doesn’t seem at all likely. Bucky’s pretty sure, in terms of professionalism, Steve was way more out of line than Bucky today.

Which leaves the kind of punishment Steve’s grip on his chin had promised. The kind of punishment Bucky didn’t realise he would get this hard for. 

He sits down in the back of the jet, keeping some distance between himself and Steve, and tries to stop his imagination from wandering to what Steve might have in store for him. 

But he can’t help it. And just imagining Steve’s hand on Bucky’s throat is… he has to shake that thought out of his head. They've already established that now is not the time.

The remainder of the flight back to HQ is possibly the most uncomfortable twenty minutes Bucky has ever spent on a jet. And he’s been on some pretty shitty jets.

They finally land, and all Bucky wants is to be off the jet, but it’s not his place to go rushing first. He waits for instructions to disembark, and Steve gives them silently, gesturing for Bucky to leave ahead of him with a curt nod and a complete lack of expression. 

When they exit onto the tarmac though, Steve brushes past him with the slightest touch of their shoulders and spins to keep step with him, walking backwards, eyes fixed to Bucky's. Bucky is so aware of what Steve is doing, and he  _ wants _ to completely ignore it - but knowing doesn’t change his reaction one fucking bit. Steve is like a magnet and Bucky simply cannot pull away.

'A word, if I may, Sergeant?' he asks. And Bucky wants to do anything and everything Steve asks, so he nods his head.

'Yes, Sir.' 

Steve pulls Bucky gently aside, letting Wanda pass through with the stretcher, flanked by Natasha and Jane. Natasha gives Steve a subtle nod as she passes, and that's enough for Steve to turn all his attention back to Bucky.

That attention is terribly commanding.

'I want you to know,' he says, stepping toward but not touching Bucky, 'I meant what I said earlier. You did a good job today.'

Bucky isn't about to argue with him again, not about this. He nods his agreement instead.

'And it's no game - you don't question my judgement about the performance of my team out in the field,' Steve rests his hands on his hips. 'That includes yourself.' And oh, the words are sharp and the tone is heavy and Bucky is paying attention, he  _ is _ , but his eyes have followed Steve’s hands to his waist. His waist that’s accentuated by the tapered uniform, curving into the swell of an amazing ass, leading down to thick thighs, testing the seams of those tight, tight pants. Bucky's imagining what it would feel like to lie underneath them, have them pinning him down, bracketing his immobilised che- 'Bucky, are you not listen-''

'You could hold me down,' Bucky blurts, true disaster that he is. And he can't take it back, the words are out there. Steve has stopped mid sentence, mouth open, eyebrows raised high. 'I mean, umm…'

‘I could what?’

‘You could secure me, I would… I mean I could… sorry, I was just thinking…’ Oh,  _ think, _ Bucky. Backpedal, bring it back to the mission somehow...

'Bucky, I-' Steve stops and cocks his head, like he can hear something that Bucky can't. 'We're gonna talk about this,' and the way he licks his lips, tongue darting out to sweep a wet line across his perfect pink lips, has Bucky's eyes tracing the movement. He’s a puppet on a string.

And then Steve is walking away, he turns his head back to Bucky and gives him a look, a look that just says, 'follow me,' and Bucky does. There’s really no way for him to resist it, the pull of Steve, and pretty soon it’s going to be a problem.

He and Steve are the last to arrive at the debrief, and Bucky listens while Wanda breaks down what happened in the field, backing her up when she asks him a question. Adding insights when asked.

With each of Wanda’s directions Bucky follows, Steve's frown intensifies. It has Bucky almost giddy, and he’s not sure what that means about his morality on the whole. That watching Steve get increasingly frustrated by Bucky being so quick to follow Wanda's orders has him almost drunk with satisfaction, so palpable he doesn't know how to contain it.

He does it, though. Somehow, he holds it back. Bucky can compartmentalise - it was part of his training. He's even good at it. As a sniper he needs to be; a clear head is his greatest asset.

That's part of what makes Steve so dangerous. He threatens that for Bucky. But maybe Bucky needs to embrace the idea that part of living is letting yourself be distracted by life. It’s where you find the answers you didn’t know to search for.

Or so he's been told.

They get to the end of the very long and intense meeting, and Steve insists on going up to see the man, the traveller, leaving before Bucky has a chance to catch his eye. He gets dismissed along with the others and this time it’s Wanda who gently lays a hand to his arm, just above his elbow, to stop him from leaving the room.

'Everything okay?' he asks as he stops for her.

'Yes, yes. Today was... strange. A strange day, but I'm okay.'

Bucky nods, he isn't sure what Wanda's looking for but he's happy to let her tell him in her own time.

'Thank you for what you did today.'

And people have got to stop thanking him for doing his job. His head is inflated enough - all this business with Steve - it’s praise he doesn’t deserve.

'I know you don't think you deserve it, but I wanted to say thank you for trusting me today.’

It’s unsettling how she does that, knows exactly what he’s thinking, but it’s comforting in its own way. He doesn’t need to try and explain himself to her. ‘Just doing my job,’ he says with a little shrug, ‘Anyone would do the same.’

‘You’d be surprised how many operatives we’ve tried to work with in the past, who refuse to trust someone like me.’

Bucky’s not sure if she means enhanced, or young, or that once upon a time Wanda was someone other than who she is now. But a questionable past means shit to him when he knows what she’s done for the world, what she’s doing everyday, and that who she is now is all that matters. 

It’s as he’s thinking that, that Wanda puts a soft, warm palm to his cheek. ‘You’re a good man, James Barnes,’ and she looks behind him, at something, or someone, and smiles, ‘He is too. But be careful, okay?’

Bucky waits for Wanda to take her hand away before turning around. And of course, Steve is watching them, caught talking to Fury in the hallway, but seemingly paying no attention to the director. His face is like stone, but for a twitch in his jaw. A twitch that might mean trouble for Bucky. The kind of trouble that Bucky is so fucking eager for he has to swallow it down. 

‘Bucky?’

‘Hmm? Yeah?’

Wanda is smiling harder now, amused, no doubt, by how easily distracted he is by this… whatever it is he has for Steve.

‘Sorry,’ he says, shaking his head bashfully. He’s got it so bad. 

‘Come up to dinner with us, yes? He can wait for you.’ He doesn’t know if it’s something about the gleam in her eye, or the conversation they just had, but Bucky trusts her, he really does. And so he follows her up to the common room for dinner with the team, glancing back quickly at Steve, who hasn’t moved, is just watching them, jaw twitching away. It’s Bucky’s turn to wink this time - a move he’ll most likely pay for later. (He’s counting on it).

Dinner is a team event. It’s so loud, so busy... it’s wonderful. Everyone’s talking to everyone, food is everywhere, it’s chaos. Arms and torsos reach over heads and bowls of fattoush and baba ghanoush are passed around like footballs. Bucky honestly had no idea so many people lived in the compound. He recognises a few faces, but most of the eclectic bunch of people around the table are new to Bucky, and they’re all smiles and friendly greetings. 

He loves this. 

It’s what he’s missed since leaving the army. Not the government bullshit, not the stress and the smell of blood in his clothes, but the dinners in the mess, the found family of his team. 

God, he hopes he gets to keep this.

Steve joins them about halfway through dinner. He sits at the head of the table, like the spot’s been reserved for him (it probably has), and bowls are just passed to him wordlessly. Conversation doesn’t halt. Jane is still rambling about time loopy stuff to Doctor Banner, Natasha is still trying to help Clint eat, cutting up his pizza so he can pick up the bite sized pieces with the two good fingers of his unbroken arm. Wanda and a young guy introduced only as Peter are laughing about someone who may or may not be named ‘Happy,’ and Maria and Colonel Rhodes are deep in hushed conversation about something nobody else (except probably Steve) can hear. 

Steve catches Bucky’s eye more than would be considered normal, but nothing is made of it, and Bucky certainly doesn’t try to engage him in conversation (he’s not sure how well he’d be able to hide what he’s feeling, if forced to actually verbalise any, you know,  _ words out loud _ at this point).

But he’s listening, pretending not to be, holding himself on every word that Steve’s saying.

‘He’s still unconscious,’ Steve relays to Jane and Doctor Banner. ‘The meds he's on are helping his vitals. I’ll probably go back up there in a couple hours and check back in.’

'And you have no idea who he is?' Doctor Banner asks, pushing his glasses up the bridge of the nose with a bent knuckle.

'I don't recognise him, but we just don't know anything yet.' Steve pulls a steak onto his plate and looks back at Doctor Banner with a shrug, 'It’s a waiting game now.'

Dinner seems to last forever after that. Watching Steve eat is some kind of sweet torture for Bucky. That mouth, those lips around the fork, just the way he holds it in those hands, so big, but elegant somehow, all long, strong fingers and wrists that could pin you to a wall. Oh god. Bucky is going to get  _ himself _ into trouble this time. Steve isn't even doing anything - he's not even looking at Bucky anymore. He's still chatting to Jane and Doctor Banner between bites, every once in a while putting the fork down carefully against the plate, with a sense of precision that Bucky is coming to realise Steve has for everything he does. Bucky wants to feel the careful precision of those fingers on his skin. The ghost of their grip is still pressing into his jaw. 

Wanda is sneaking peaks at Bucky amidst her own conversation. He's trying to ignore the grin she's pretending to hide behind her fork. And Clint is attempting to ask Bucky questions about the 75th, about how he knows Sam Wilson, but Bucky is getting so lost trying to answer. He can barely remember his own name right now and yeah... That, apart from being really rude, is also just fucking embarrassing. 

Bucky squares his shoulders, takes a breath and makes a real effort to speak with Clint properly.

'Yeah, Sam is a great guy,' Bucky says finally. Clint is smiling through small portions of pizza and a black eye that looks like whatever caused it nearly blinded him.

'You guys served together?'

'Long time ago, when we were both really green,' Bucky actually smiles at the memory (and it's a good distraction from Colonel “I'm Going To Wrap My Lips Around This Forkful Of Steak Like I Want It To Call Me Da-” ah...). 'Umm... I mean, oh yeah, we had this awful CO who just would not let it go that I was dating a guy at the time and Sam was the best.' It was a really nice memory actually. They hadn't served for that long together - their specialties took them in different directions, but there was a connection there, and they kept in touch for a long time after that tour.

It is how he got his shoe in with Fury.

'How was he the best? What'd you guys do?' Clint's looking at Bucky eagerly, like it might be hot gossip. But truthfully it's probably not anything a thousand other disgruntled privates hadn't done to their CO's.

'I mean mostly because he was just always there, with some amazingly cutting reply whenever the guy said something revolting or homophobic. Sam would just take, like, four innocent words and turn them into a weapon.' 

'That sounds like Sam,' Natasha pipes in from Clint's other side, smiling too, 'Good with his mouth.'

'Natasha, Jesus,' Clint says, though there's no heat in it.

'What? Am I wrong?'

'No, but I'm like, right here.'

'Aw, you're good with your mouth too, honey,' she says, digging him in a hopefully uninjured rib with a pointed finger. 

The blush on Clint’s face is full and bright, even through the bruises.

It's nice to see how close everyone is, how easy and intimate they are with each other. It makes Bucky feel a little better about his ridiculous crush on the commanding man at the head of the table.

'Well, Sam actually got the guy transferred in the end. He hasn’t ever told me how, but I know it was him.'

It's a mistake to look up at Steve at this point, because Stev has finished his conversation with the others, has left them to their animated discussions. And Steve now has his laser focus trained on Bucky.

'Are you disappointed you guys didn't get to hang out together this time?' Clint is still talking on his left, and Bucky has to tear his gaze away from the intense blue of those eyes.

'A little, I guess. It's been a long time,' Bucky isn't actually all that disappointed Sam is in Wakanda at the moment. He’d be able to see right through exactly whatever this thing is between Bucky and Steve, and Bucky would have been murdered for it a hundred times over by now. Even now, whatever Sam is doing, he’s probably getting some sixth sense stupidity vibes off Bucky and is ready to come back and tease him mercilessly. Still, it would be nice to serve together again. 'Maybe if you guys let me hang around for a while, we'll get a chance to get out there together.'

He catches Steve's eyes as they narrow, Bucky can't keep him out of his periphery. And that look is so stern, he wants to vault over the table and crawl into Steve’s lap. He wants to get fed off that fork the way Steve is so carefully preparing every perfectly proportioned bite for his mouth. He wants to stare up into that face and have it rain praise down upon him. He wants to not have to worry that anyone is going to judge him for it.

He may have stopped listening again. 

Clint is endlessly patient with him, but the conversation turns to other things and Bucky is soon left to his own restless lack of concentration.

It’s too much to hope that nobody has noticed where that restlessness is coming from.

Once the food is gone and the hour grows late, the team disperse from the table one by one. Bucky doesn’t get to follow them though. Natasha pulls him aside to keep him in the kitchen with a quiet ‘A word, Bucky?’ and he watches the others leave, watches Steve go, and worries that he's really messed up this time. 

Natasha doesn’t bother to mince words.

'I know you're great out in the field' - Oh god, no good conversation ever starts out that way - 'but that dinner was a shit show.'

'Uhhh…'

'You were useless to anyone trying to get a conversation out of you.’ She pats him on the shoulder (why do people keep  _ doing _ that?). ‘You wanna hang around right? Wanna be part of the team?'

'I really do,' he says, because he really, truly does. And he thinks he knows what she's going to say.

'Okay, then I have some advice, and you should take it. I think you’re a really great fit for us-'

'Oh, that's… thank-'

'Listen up,' Natasha cuts him off, 'Whatever you guys are dancing around here-'

'Keep it in my pants?' Bucky interrupts, because he knows where she's going and he knows she’s right, but he doesn’t actually want to  _ hear _ it.

'No, Bucky,' she's smiling, shaking her head, and Bucky is nodding, 'The opposite actually. I mean get it out of your system.'

Oh wait. What?

‘You guys need to fuck it out before you set us all on fire by proxy.’ Natasha is dead set staring him in the face and saying these words. Bucky is speechless. ‘The sexual tension is going to kill somebody, Barnes.’

‘I…’ Okay. ‘I’m…’ So. Bucky really is speechless. 

Natasha’s smile grows to something almost feral. ‘Oh, he is going to eat you right up.’

Bucky swallows down his embarrassment and squares his shoulders. ‘I can take it!’ and,  _ oh god _ . He can’t believe they’re really having this conversation.

‘I bet you can,’ Natasha replies with one of her exaggerated winks - which gets a laugh out of Bucky - and then sobers her expression. ‘He's a good guy, you know. A little… stiff, maybe’- she laughs at her own pun (huh, the black widow is kind of a dork) - ‘but he’s one of the good ones.’

(Bucky knows that already. He can feel that goodness radiating from Steve in waves, it just… also comes with a lot of really impressive  _ authority _ ).

‘You are too, Bucky,’ she nudges his shoulder, ‘Go get some, okay?’

Well. He’s just been handed the advice of someone as fearsome and respected as the Black Widow (even if it turns out she’s a secret dork). Bucky can hardly ignore it now, can he?

‘He has an apartment in the complex,’ Natasha says, spinning Bucky around and giving him a little nudge, ‘On the fifth floor, the door with a big Six in the middle.’

Bucky is trying to turn around so he can look at Natasha and tell her it can probably wait a few days, but her nudge becomes less little and more insistent.

‘No time like the present, Sergeant. Off you go!’

‘Okay, okay,’ he says, holding his hands up in surrender and allowing her to push him through the door into the hallway, ‘I’m going, I’m going.’ He turns back to check again that she’s not messing with him, but her face is open. She’s giving him a little wave. And yeah. Okay. Bucky can see that maybe dinner was a write off, maybe he’d had trouble listening to anything anyone was saying once Steve sat down. 

Maybe getting it out of their system is just what they need to get back to a baseline of normality.

Or maybe Bucky just really wants to give in to this feeling.

He makes it to the fifth floor with a little help from the AI system in the elevator. Apparently you need special clearance to get up there, where the Avengers’ living quarters are. And apparently Bucky has been granted that access… By Natasha. 

(He should really get her a fruit basket or something. Some of those chocolate covered strawberry bouquets… Or maybe he should wait and see how this goes first. Maybe this is the same prank she pulls on all the new guys…)

‘The fifth floor, Sergeant Barnes,’ the voice in the ceiling tells him. He steps out into the hallway as the doors open with a soft thanks and a little wave to the AI. It’s bright and clean, no clutter, no furniture - probably for security reasons. Bucky takes a few cautious steps towards the doors he can see on either side of the hall, ridiculously far apart from each other. If these are apartments… They must be huge. 

When he finally gets down to number six he stands in front of it with his hands clenching and unclenching into fists in time with his breaths. It works a little to calm him down. And then, well… fuck it. You only live once. Right?

He knocks.

It takes about four seconds for the footsteps he hears to reach the door and then another as it opens inwards before he’s graced with the sight of Steve Rogers. Colonel Rogers. Captain America. Standing in front of him in nothing but a towel.

Oh Lord in heaven. 

Bucky might need some smelling salts (or a nice swift slap to the face). He seems to have lost all higher functioning brain power. 

Steve is standing in front of him, bare-chested, long hair wet and slicked back, dripping down his neck and shoulders, beard glistening under the sconced lighting of the hallway, blue eyes dancing under raised eyebrows at poor Bucky and his jaw-dropped state of wonder. His lips are turned up at the corners with the hint of a smile and though there’s a question in his expression, it gives the impression that this surprise is more than welcome. 

(It’s not like Bucky hasn’t seen it all before. He has, and he seems to recall that it’s what got him into this mess in the first place. And yep. Of course as he’s thinking it, his dick remembers to do its thing, spring to life, practically throbbing along to the thudding beat of Bucky’s heart). 

‘Uhh…’ Bucky desperately wants to say something, but his brain just isn’t working.

‘Well hey, Buck,’ Steve says, voice as syruppy smooth as he’s ever heard it, so deep and thick, Bucky can practically feel it reach out to him. 

‘Hey,’ he says, swallowing.

Steve just stands there, perhaps waiting for Bucky to give him an explanation for what he’s doing there, but Bucky isn’t currently capable of speech.

‘Would you like to come in?’ Steve steps back to gesture for Bucky to enter the apartment, holding an arm out wide. ‘I’d actually only just stepped into the shower.’

Bucky has to close his eyes to that visual.

‘Should I offer you a drink, or…’ Steve says, once Bucky has stepped past him into the lounge area, ‘What’s the nature of your visit?’

‘Oh I…’ Bucky has stopped and Steve walks on towards the kitchen bench, turning around to lean back against it as he waits for Bucky to continue. ‘I had something to ask you, I think?’

‘You think?’ Steve is smiling at him, his posture dropping into something very  _ casual _ .

‘No, I know,’ Bucky says, standing straighter, ‘I wanted to ask you about today.’

Steve raises an eyebrow but his body doesn’t respond any further, his posture stays just as relaxed. ‘Which part of the day, specifically.’

‘The conversation we had in the jet,’ Bucky starts, ‘The conversation we didn’t get to finish on the tarmac.’ 

Steve pushes off the bench as Bucky crosses his arms. Whatever controlled stance Bucky was trying to take is ruined by the way Steve stalks over to him. Miraculously, the towel keeps its position. ‘I seem to remember something about you being punished…’ Steve says, slow and low, ‘I seem to remember you asking me to hold you down.’

Bucky can feel himself backing up, not because he’s frightened, but because Steve is forcing him backwards with the sheer dominance of his presence. He’s pressing into Bucky with his attitude, and Bucky is as helpless as ever to resist.

It’s not till he feels the wall behind him that he realises he’s been backed right into it.

‘I thought… I was thinking,’ Bucky says, ‘That maybe we should consider it.’

‘Consider what exactly, Bucky.’

‘Consider exploring what this is,’ he gestures between them, ‘Obviously there's an attraction.’

Steve steps in close and Bucky’s back flattens against the wall. ‘Is there?’ 

‘I mean,’ Bucky suddenly isn’t so sure what he’s doing. There  _ is  _ an attraction, it’s not just him, is it? ‘Don’t you feel it?’

‘Oh, I  _ do _ ,’ Steve says, closing the distance between them even further, and Bucky exhales with relief. ‘But what makes you think you get to decide if we do something about that?’ Steve leans in and braces his hands against the wall on either side of Bucky's head, ‘What makes you think you can tell me what to do?’

‘No, I was- I wasn’t,’ Bucky stammers, caught off guard, ‘I’m not trying to.’

‘I seem to remember your behaviour today was less than exemplary,’ and as Steve’s talking, he’s running his hands down the wall and curling them around Bucky’s wrists. ‘What should I do about that?’

Bucky can feel Steve take his wrists and slide them up the wall, over his head. And yeah… Steve can do that, he can do whatever he wants. Bucky tells him exactly that, ‘You can do whatever you want.’

‘Oh Bucky,’ Steve says, voice so deep Bucky can feel it in his chest, ‘I know I can.' And it's not just all of Steve's bare skin against Bucky's chest, it's not just the scent of him, after a day in the desert, of sun and sand and sweat and something else, something earthy and delicious, the shower not nearly long enough to wash it away; it's the sheer size of him, crowding Bucky in with the width of his shoulders and the bulk of his arms. 'Because you’re gonna do what I tell you to do.’

Bucky licks his lips as Steve brings his face in close.

‘Do you think you can do that Bucky?’

Bucky nods, he can do it, he can do that. 

Steve’s voice has dropped to a whisper, ‘Can you be my good boy, Baby?’

Bucky nods again, because he can, he can be good. He can be  _ so _ good.

‘No,’ Steve says, practically purrs, ‘You have to  _ tell _ me.’

Bucky swallows, and he finds just enough voice to whisper, ‘I can be good.’

‘Be a good what?’ Steve asks.

‘A good… a good boy.’

‘Hmmm…’ Steve runs his nose along Bucky's cheek. He can feel the soft hair of that beard on his skin, brushing against him. ‘A good boy for who?’

‘For you. A good boy for you, Da- Sir.’

Steve freezes at Bucky’s slip up. Jesus Christ, he did not just nearly call him Daddy. Because he’s never  _ never _ done that before in his life. But  _ fuuuuck _ does it feel right now.

‘What was that, Baby?’ Steve asks, and Bucky knows he’s going to have to tell him. Steve has his hands in a vice grip over his head, his nose buried in the underside of Bucky’s jaw, and there’s no way he can deny Steve anything. ‘Who are you a good boy for?’

Bucky doesn’t get a chance to find his words before they're interrupted by the voice from the ceiling.

‘I’m terribly sorry to interrupt you, Colonel Rogers, But Director Fury is trying to contact you, Sir.’

Steve doesn't curse. Doesn't make much sound but for a long, slow exhale against Bucky's ear. He backs his face and upper body away from Bucky but keeps his hands on Bucky’s wrists, catches Bucky in his stare. ‘What is it Jarvis?’ he asks, never once breaking eye contact with Bucky.

‘It’s your dimensionally travelled friend, Sir. He appears to be awake, and he’s asking for you.’

‘Okay, tell Fury I’ll be there in a moment.’

‘He’s asking for Sergeant Barnes too, Sir,’ the voice says. And Steve’s eyes narrow dangerously.

‘Is he?’

‘Yes, Sir.’

‘Ask them to give us five minutes.’

‘Certainly, Colonel Rogers. Sergeant Barnes.’

And Steve finally lets go of Bucky as he takes another step back. ‘I guess this is going to have to wait. Again.’

And oh. Bucky is glad it's not his fault they've been interrupted. He doesn't care to ever be on the receiving end of that particular glare.

'Wait here please, while I get dressed,' Steve asks, and Bucky nods his head.

'Sure, Steve.' And just like that the spell is broken.

Steve slips into another room and half closes the door. Bucky pushes off the wall and attempts to straighten his uniform. It's a lost cause, he's absolutely erect to capacity in his pants and there's no way to hide it. He wants to get himself a glass of water, but he doesn't know the rules about using Steve's kitchen.

He wants ten minutes to take a fiercely cold shower but he doesn't have them.

He gets his phone out of his flak vest and texts the first person that comes to mind.

**Sent** : Becks… tell me something gross

He gets pinged back in a matter of seconds. Bless his sister and her unhealthy attachment to her phone.

**Received** : you were born

Okay, that's not the quick wit he was expecting from his little sis. 

**Sent** : lame

**Received** : your lame

  
  


**Sent** : You’re lame, Becca, kiddo, wtf was seven years of college for if you can’t even use contractions.

**Received** : 😖 get bent asshole

Okay it’s not what he had in mind, but talking to Becks has calmed him down enough he might be able to show himself in public and not be horribly humiliated. Thank god for bratty sisters. 

**Sent** : 😚😚

He tucks his phone away without checking any further pings as Steve returns, dressed in jeans and a white tank and  _ seriously _ . Is he trying to  _ kill  _ Bucky?

Bucky turns away before he can catch any more of an eyeful and throws an, 'Okay, let's go,' over his shoulder, which he'll probably pay for later.

He's not upset about that, at all. 

Between Steve’s room and the med bay, Steve’s thankfully pulls on a black long sleeved tee (actually, it’s really no help at all), and when they arrive they're met by a very grumpy looking Director Fury and a cool as ever Maria. Wanda is, surprisingly, already inside with the patient. Bucky can see her through the glass of the walls.

'She's still not getting a read on him,' Fury says by way of greeting, 'They're talking.'

'About what?' Steve asks, his deep voice sharp without any warmth to smooth it out. 

'Pietro.'

Steve does not seem happy about that.

'Why don't you go in there and find out what the hell is going on,' Fury requests curtly. 

Steve looks like he wants to argue, but Bucky also knows he's desperate for answers. His curiosity wins out and Bucky follows him dutifully through the automated doors and into the room of their time travelling guest. 

Who is sitting up in bed, looking a hundred times more alive than he had in the desert.

Looking comfortable and rosy cheeked and smiling, with short brown hair swept back in front, similar to Bucky's quiff, but longer at the sides. With an angular nose, green eyes, and comfortable smile lines, he has one of the happiest faces Bucky has ever seen. 

He is... absolutely the opposite of threatening.

'Cap! Buck! Boy are you guys a sight for sore eyes!' he says as Steve and Bucky enter, coming to a stop near the foot of the hospital bed. 'I mean, you're not  _ my _ Cap, so that's a shame. But every Cap so far's been a good Cap, so… Except for Skrull Cap, but then I guess he was a Skrull, and not really Cap, so…'

'I don't… What?' Steve looks first to Bucky and then to Wanda, in her chair by the bed, 'What is he talking about?'

Bucky just shrugs to convey his own confusion, and Wanda smiles, though it doesn't reach her eyes.

'So you guys don't have a Scott at all?' the guy says, looking from Steve to Bucky with the sort of disappointment you might attribute to a puppy.

'Wanda?' Steve asks. Presumably at a complete loss as to what’s happening.

'Scott is wondering why there isn't a doppelganger version of himself in our timeline.'

'I thought you couldn't read his mind?' Bucky asks, and this time when Wanda smiles it holds a little more life. 

'I can't,' she looks at Scott and shrugs her shoulders, 'We talked it through already.'

'Can you tell us how you know us?' Steve asks, crossing his arms over his expansive chest and wearing his  _ commander _ face.

'You guys are different in the timeline I'm from, but basically the same.'

'Elaborate,' Steve says, and Bucky knows he's not imagining the way the guy, Scott, straightens his spine and squares his shoulders.

'Where I'm from, we messed up the timeline pretty bad. Did you guys get Thanos here? Big purple guy?' Scott mimes a giant shaped man with his arms and hands out wide and high. 

Wanda and Steve exchange a dark look but don't say anything .

'Ah, well, you probably know how impossible he was to stop.'

'We have some idea,' Steve says.

'Not impossible,' Wanda says with a sad smile, 'But costly.'

'Right, yes, big time. And anyway, we may have accidentally created a bunch of parallel universes, splitting the timelines off from the points where we made changes in the past…' Scott looks between them to make sure they're keeping up, 'And when our Cap went back to return something we took, well- they sent an imposter version of him back. And our Cap has gone missing…'

'Who sent?'

'We don't really know… Shield, we think.'

'Why would they?' Steve asks, narrowing his eyes even further. 

'They might be Hydra,' Scott says, shrugging his shoulders, 'We have a theory…'

Steve stares Scott down, and Scott swallows before continuing.

'Bucky and I,' Bucky shakes his head at Steve, definitely a different Bucky, 'We have a theory that Steve went back to save him and got caught.'

'To save who?' Steve asked, distaste in his expression, as if the idea he would fail at anything is reprehensible.

'Okay, let me start a bit earlier, I have the feeling, based on the two whole human arms and the lack of murder glare that your Bucky is not the Winter Soldier.'

Bucky just shrugs again helplessly at Steve, he doesn't know what Scott's talking about.

'In my timeline, Bucky and you, Cap, were friends from childhood, and you followed Bucky to war using the serum, and then thought you lost him to Hydra, only to find out he'd been captured and tortured and experimented on and turned into a killing machine for the bad guys.'

‘Hold on. In your timeline,’ Steve shakes his head, like that thought alone hurts him, ‘We were friends from  _ when _ ?’

‘From when you were kids. In pre-World War Two New York,’ Scott says it like he learnt it in a history book. Which, well, that’s where Bucky knows most of his Captain America history, so… It’s crazy to think that he might be part of that somewhere out there in the universe. A murderous, one armed version of himself...

Steve is looking at Bucky with a mixture of sadness and intensity Bucky finds unbelievably endearing. ‘But Bucky isn’t like me.’

‘Not here,’ Scott says. ‘But in my timeline he is. Hydra gave him a version of the serum…’

It might be Bucky’s imagination, but Steve seems to move closer to him as they’re told that.

‘And I… your Steve… thought Bucky was dead?’

‘He went on a rampage, took out as much of Hydra as he could find, crashed the Valkyrie into the ocean.’

‘Just like you,’ Bucky says, looking at Steve, careful of the pain he can see there.

'And you’re saying, what? I woke up from the ice and found out Bucky was still alive?'

'Exactly,' Scott says, triumphant.

'And that I went back in time to save him from becoming a killing machine?’

'There’s a few steps in between, but yeah, essentially, that's our working theory, yes.'

'And now I'm -  _ your  _ Steve - is missing in a strange timeline somewhere?'

'Yes! See, you get it.'

'So you and this other, alternate reality version of Bucky are travelling around in the space-time continuum trying to find me?'

'You’re getting it!'

'Why come here?’ Bucky asks this time, ‘This isn’t the right timeline.' 

'He's stuck,' Wanda answers, 'Jumping in and out of timelines, unable to get back.'

'Is Bucky stuck like that too?' Steve asks.

Scott just shrugs. 'Could be… or he's gone back already, but... I doubt he'd stop looking to be honest. Hey, maybe you'll get to meet him. He's a pretty cool guy.'

'Didn't you say he was an evil killing machine?'

'Not evil, and he’s not a machine. Not anymore.'

'So you need help?' Steve interrupts, trying to get them back on track.

'To get back, I need help,' Scott confirms with a nod. 

'Jane is going to help. And Bruce. And probably Tony, because you couldn't keep him away,' Wanda says, looking back at Scott, 'I’m glad we’re helping. Thank you for what you told me.'

Steve raises his eyebrows at her in question. 

'In some of the timelines, Pietro survives.' Wanda touches a hand to Scott’s shoulder and then turns away, ‘I think I can’t sense Scott because he doesn’t belong here… Another Pietro wouldn’t belong here either, but…’ She looks down at her hands and closes her eyes, holding back as much emotion as she can, ‘It’s nice to know a different me gets to keep him.’

Steve takes a step towards her but she holds a hand out to stop him; shakes her head.

'I'm going to bed, I think. But I'll see you all in the morning.' Wanda stands and smiles at them, that same small, sad smile, and touches both Bucky and Steve gently as she passes them by.

They bid goodnight as Wanda leaves and the doors swoosh shut behind her.

The room is silent as the boys watch her head past Maria and Fury. But Bucky’s still wondering why Scott asked to see them, if everything was already arranged. Why Fury wanted them in here, if they know this already.

'Why ask to see us?' Bucky asks. 'If Fury is already helping you.'

'I wanted to make sure that you weren't my Cap,’ Scott looks Steve up and down. 'You're closer than some of the others. But you're not him.'

'But why me?' Bucky asks.

'I dunno,' Scott says with a quick shake of his head, 'I wanted to make sure you were okay here, happy. You look happy, it looks like you guys are together.'

'I-'

'We-'

They both start at the same time, ready to correct him, but Scott doesn't pay them any mind.

'Everything always works out well in the timelines where you guys are together,' he says with a smile. 

And that's… 

It's all…

Bucky doesn't even know what he's feeling; what that means. 

'Boys! Time to go,' Fury says, stepping in behind them, 'Scott needs rest and fluids. You can talk more tomorrow.' Fury motions to the camera in the corner to let them know he caught all of that on video. Bucky’s not sure what it’s for, but he’ll no doubt find out soon. 'Get out of here. And, oh, Colonel, here's that paperwork you asked for.' The director slaps an A4 envelope at Steve's chest none too gently. 'Don't let it interfere with your work.'

'No, Sir,' Steve says, still looking stern, 'It won't.'

Fury gives Bucky a pointed look as they all say goodnight to Scott and then make their way through the automatic doors. Fury stays behind with Maria as Steve and Bucky nod farewell and head onto the elevators.

'This is for you,' Steve says, handing Bucky the envelope. 'Read through it carefully and we'll debrief about it first thing tomorrow.'

'I… yes, Sir,' Bucky says. More than a little flummoxed by the paperwork and the dismissal. Are they not going back to what they were interrupted from? Is he not going to get a chance to get this out of his system?

'Just read it, Bucky. Carefully, okay?'

'Okay.'

'And we'll talk in the morning.' 

Bucky is so confused he’s just looking between the envelope and Steve trying to figure out what he did wrong. Which is when Steve takes Bucky by the waist and presses him into the back wall of the elevator, looking down at him softly. 

'Don't look at me like that, Baby. Read the packet,' He says, leaning down to press his nose down into the long line of Bucky's neck. The elevator stops at level five, and the doors start to open. Steve doesn’t pull away, instead he puts his lips to Bucky's ear and whispers, 'Be a good boy for Daddy.' 

And then, just like that, he steps back. 

He takes another step back and out of the open elevator doors, waves with one beautiful hand, and leaves Bucky standing alone as the doors close on him.

_ Be a good boy for Daddy. _

It takes him a minute to gather himself before he can open the envelope and pull out the paperwork. And it's something of a surprise when the very first page reads,  _ Contract of Voluntary Submission between Steven G Rogers/Dominant and James B Barnes/Submissive . _

Oh.

_ Oh... _

Okay...

He really hopes this isn't the same contract packet for  _ all  _ new Avengers...

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh friends, friends, you've almost made it to the end... Just one chapter to go, and I PROMISE YOU, it will be a DOOZY.
> 
> It's likely to also be a little longer than the previous chapters so forgive me. 
> 
> I'm pretty sure you'll forgive me. 
> 
> Love you all ❤ ❤ ❤
> 
> If you wanna come chat with me, you can find me [here](https://darter-blue.tumblr.com/) on tumblr or [here](https://twitter.com/beclouise13) on twitter


	4. The Contract

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He doesn’t fully understand why the thought of Steve calling him ‘Baby Boy,’ why the thought of calling Steve ‘Daddy,’ has him so hot, has him so hard he's leaking; why he can't stop thinking about being on his knees with a collar around his neck and Steve crowding him in, touching him. But it does, and he can’t, and Bucky isn't going to question it. He's going to give into his need right now and he's going to feel good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again friends. Some of you may have noticed that the chapter count has gone up to 5... It has, because this last chapter got so long I had to split it. But NEVER FEAR. I'm posting both chapters for you now, together, so that I don't break my promise to you.
> 
> I would hate for you to feel that I didn't keep my word, and I know how desperately you've been waiting for the resolution.
> 
> Be warned - Please check the tags. The explicit rating gets earned from here on out (especially in the next chapter) so make sure that you are onboard with everything you find there. If you have any questions or concerns, you can come find me [here](https://darter-blue.tumblr.com/) on tumblr or [here](https://twitter.com/beclouise13) on twitter - please don't hesitate to ask. 
> 
> Well, I won't keep you any longer! Just be sure and know that without the beautiful [Kalee60](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalee60) and her constant cheer-leading and brilliant advice or the endlessly supportive and boundlessly knowledgeable [ixalit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ixalit) who worked so hard on these two chapters to sharpen them up and keep me informed and respectful - this fic simply would not exist. 
> 
> That's it - that's all - off you go! Jump in! Enjoy!
> 
> ❤

Bucky is just standing in the elevator, frozen, clutching at his paperwork like it might fly away from him at any moment, when the doors open onto the basement of the Avengers complex. 

It's empty, but for the myriad of cars and bikes, most of which probably belong to Stark.

‘You’ve reached the garage, Sergeant Barnes,’ the helpful AI in the ceiling informs him.

‘Oh, right, yes… I… thank you…’

‘You may call me Jarvis, Sergeant.’

‘Thank you, Jarvis.’ Bucky’s looking up at the ceiling of the elevator, he doesn’t see any cameras, but he sees positions that would allow for them, where they are more than likely hidden. 

‘You’re welcome, Sergeant.’

‘You can call me Bucky,’ he says to the AI, because it’s been a very helpful system to him so far, and it never hurts to be polite.

‘I do appreciate that, Sergeant Barnes, and I would love to. Unfortunately, protocol prevents me from taking such liberties. I’m afraid I’m simply not permitted to.’

‘Oh right,’ Bucky says, looking down at the envelope in his hands, ‘I guess protocol is important.’

‘Indeed, Sergeant. It has its place. And might I say, if I may be so bold, it can be quite rewarding.’ Oh god. Can Jarvis see through his envelope? Does he know what Steve’s asking for? ‘But following it should always be a choice.’

Wow. Tony Stark’s computer system is pretty insightful.

‘I… thanks, Jarvis,’ Bucky says, pressing the envelope harder into his chest, ‘I have a lot to think about.’

‘I’ll leave you to it then, Sergeant.’

Bucky nods and awkwardly waves a hand as he steps outside the elevator doors.

Only now he feels.... apprehensive. He's holding a document in his hands to agree to be someone’s  _ Submissive _ . Which should feel like a joke, except...  _ Steve _ would be his Dominant. Colonel Steve Rogers. Former Captain America.  _ Daddy.  _ And oh my god. That thought has him biting his fist, honestly.

It has him closing his eyes to images of Steve holding Bucky down. Images of Steve with his hands on Bucky, maybe some ropes, maybe a blindfold. And, right. He needs to read this packet. He needs to get home immediately. 

So Bucky does exactly that. He reaches his Suzuki Boulevard, parked amongst the rest of the cars of the people who don't live in the complex (and who don’t own it), who have to come and go like Bucky does. He gets his helmet on and throws a leg over the bike, wants the routine of riding to ground him, but all he can think about is Steve. He's so restless he peels out of the garage and rides home like a madman - something he  __ usually _ never _ does because road rules are important, damn it, they are enforced for a reason - and makes it back to his Brooklyn apartment without a defined sense of ever having been on the road. 

Once his keys are in the door, Alpine is at the other side, scratching for him to hurry up already. She's been waiting all day, though his scary hot neighbour, Frank, would have been over to feed her and pet her for a bit throughout the day. Bucky had messaged Frank to let him know he’d likely get home late, and Frank knows Alpine hates to be alone so long. Frank is a good guy.

And god, it has been one really long day. It feels more like he’s been gone a week. It feels like his whole life has shifted off its axis… just a little to the left. Just enough to throw everything completely off. How did that happen in one day? Two days actually. He has to count yesterday, it’s what started this whole thing.

Well, no. For that he'd have to go all the way back to getting that first text from Fury, the text inviting him to come in and meet the team. The text that Sam no doubt had a hand in Bucky getting sent. Sam, his friend who also happens to be Captain America now. Sam, who has a lot of pull with Big Dick guys like Nick Fury. And little old nobody's like Bucky Barnes need all the help they can get.

And really, following that line of thought, he'd have to go all the way back and blame his decision to leave the Rangers, leave his men, his team, because he couldn't stomach fighting for a country he didn't believe in anymore. As much as being part of it had weighed him down in the end,after he left he’d been so lost without his routine, without his orders, without the structure of the military. He’d needed to take on something new, something where he could do some good, to feel like his life might mean something again.

The Avengers no longer carry any affiliation with the United States Government. They operate under their own jurisdiction. Govern themselves. Had fought long and hard for the right. When Sam had told him about them, Bucky had immediately believed in their agenda, to do good, to help the world find balance, and he’d wanted to be part of it. Sam wouldn’t steer him wrong.

So, in full circle fashion, Bucky’s thoughts have returned to lay the blame squarely at his own feet.  _ He _ is the idiot lusting after his new CO so obviously his pants are permanently stretched at the crotch.  _ He _ is the idiot who can't keep professional at the idea of all of Steve Rogers’ bulk and fire and attitude pressed up against his chest.  _ Bucky _ is the hopeless disaster who would sink down to his knees at the first opportunity to know more about a man he thinks the world of, a man who more than lives up to his expectations. A man who, it turns out, seems kind of fascinated by Bucky in return.

Bucky sits down with a purring Alpine in his lap, scritches her behind the neck (where she loves it the most), and opens the envelope.

The first thing he notices when he pulls the paperwork free is that it’s a lot of paper. It’s long.

When Bucky looks closer, leafs through it, he sees that it’s not just a contract. In fact, it’s pages and pages of resources for Bucky to research the dynamics and fundamental basics of bondage, discipline and sadomasochism. It has example documents. It has testimonials. It has warnings, psychological advice, emotional support lines. It has a _ lot _ of information. 

It might take Bucky a while to go through it all, but Alpine has fallen asleep on his lap and he doesn’t like to move her, so he stays put and keeps reading. 

And reading.

Not all of it is what he was expecting. Some things are a little scary, some a little off putting, but a lot of it seems surprisingly exciting to Bucky. Especially when he’s picturing Steve in the role of the Dominant.

Okay. 

Finally he can’t wait any longer and does what he’s been nervously waiting to do all night. He opens the actual contract itself, the contract between himself and Steve, and he can't help the sharp thrill of want that shoots through him. 

_ Contract of Voluntary Submission Between Steven G Rogers/Dominant and James B Barnes/Submissive. _

What is it that Steve wants from him exactly? It's oddly satisfying to see all of what might be expected of Bucky written out so concisely on a piece of paper. Imagine starting out right from the beginning of a relationship with set boundaries and a clear idea of what you’re getting into. The absence of the anxiety that comes with not knowing if you're doing it right, if you're messing it up. That holds a very persuasive sway over Bucky.

The first page clearly states that the contract is only for a month. That's... that hurts a bit actually, he won't lie. But okay, Steve says it can be extended based on both parties' wants at the end of the trial period.

It also makes it clear that it's not legally binding. Bucky got that from the reading, but Steve has made sure to specifically state it in the contract as well. He wants Bucky to understand that this is a choice he gets to make every day, every second that they're together. He's not locked into anything. He has power over himself first and foremost. Giving any of that up to Steve is something he can take back at any time, for any reason. 

That's good to know.

Bucky has to consent to allow Steve to see the results of his full physical with the Avengers medical team, and consents to allow Bucky the same in return. Because he would like them to not have to use condoms. Which is… 

Bucky really likes the idea of touching Steve without anything between them. But he also really likes the idea that Steve wants to make sure it’s safe for them to do so. And to give Bucky the same peace of mind that Steve is clean as well. 

And  _ oh god _ . Steve has  _ rules _ .

_ This is a monogamous relationship. The Dominant will not share his Submissive or dominate any other submissives while the contract is in play.  _ Something in Bucky relaxes at that sentence. Something he didn’t even know had tightened. It’s as reassuring as it is possessive as fuck, and Bucky  _ loves _ it. Jesus. Yeah, okay. Check. Bucky ticks it off. (Just fucking ticking the box is making him feel things.)

_ The Submissive will consent to being bound, (the extent of the bondage is negotiable, but some form of restraint must be allowable). _ Bucky has already been fantasising about Steve restraining him; with his thighs, with his hands, with ropes. With whatever. Bucky is on board with all of it. Fucking  _ check _ .

_ The Submissive will wear the Dominant’s collar during scenes. A collar outside of scenes, to denote ownership, is negotiable. _ Oh. Steve wants Bucky to wear a collar. Only during scenes. Okay. A collar. Bucky touches his hand to his throat, imagines what it would feel like to have Steve put a collar around it. Something soft, leather, and  _ oh _ , what if it had a chain, a leash, for Steve to hold, to pull Bucky close with...  _ oh god yes _ . Fucking  _ check _ . Tick that fucking box. (He’s not sure about a collar outside of the bedroom. But that’s negotiable. Bucky likes that he has time to think about it.)

_ The Dominant will provide aftercare to the Submissive after every session - this is non negotiable at ALL TIMES. _ Aftercare... Bucky goes back through the packet to find the article on that, and yeah, okay, being loved on, stroked and pampered and taken care of by Colonel Steve Rogers and that surly attitude? Check, check, check, check, check (the tick on that box is maybe a little too enthusiastic. Bucky hopes that doesn't get him into trouble already). 

What's next.

_ Both parties must be aware and respect that safewords will remain in use at all times. _ Right. Safewords. Bucky knows about those already. He's seen enough porn to know that safewords mean shit all if the people using them don't respect each other. But Bucky gets the feeling it’s something Steve would take very seriously. He makes a mental note to do the same. So, check. Safewords. 

_ The Submissive must kneel for the Dominant before a scene. _ Steve wants Bucky to kneel for him - _ oh god yes. _ Wait,  _ Kneeling is also negotiable for use at other times.  _ Huh. Well, yeah, okay. Bucky can see how that would make sense. Yes, check, because oh  _ fuck _ , does he want to kneel for Steve, does he want to get on his knees for that man... (Don't get distracted Bucky, keep reading.)

_ The Submissive must kneel for the Dominant to exact punishment.  _ Oh.  _ Oh _ . Kneeling for punishment. He's going to get  _ punished.  _ It specifically says,  _ Baby boy will always be told why he is being punished  _ and just that thought alone, of Steve, in his deep, rich, buttery voice, talking Bucky through the bad behaviour he's displayed, talking him through the punishment he's about to receive, oh, Bucky can't help but run a hand down his leg and grip his thigh tight. It might be time to relocate.

He dislodges a sleeping Alpine from her spot on his lap, gets her some water, and puts a treat at the top of her scratching post. And then he takes his paperwork and his pen, and he shuts himself in his room. 

Because the next two clauses... the next two clauses have him getting himself undressed to get into the shower. He ticks them off messily, he's in such a rush, but he needs to touch himself. He needs to get clean from the crazy day he's had, needs to wash it all away and focus on what Steve has asked for. 

_ Baby boy will be punished for: disobedience, tardiness, too much screen time (Daddy is more important than his boy's phone). Punishments will include (with some negotiation): orgasm denial, spanking, removal of clothing, insertion of objects, rimming, sounding, restriction discipline, chores. _

He doesn’t fully understand why the thought of Steve calling him ‘Baby Boy,’ why the thought of calling Steve ‘Daddy,’ has him so hot, has him so hard he's leaking; why he can't stop thinking about being on his knees with a collar around his neck and Steve crowding him in, touching him. But it does, and he can’t, and Bucky isn't going to question it. He's going to give into his need right now and he's going to feel  _ good _ . 

_ Types of Play to explore during scenes can be decided by the submissive/ baby boy from the following list: _

_ Oral sex, swallowing semen, nipple clamps, spanking, flogging, being blindfolded, butt plugs, gagging, wax play, choking, anal sex. _

He’s not exactly sure he would enjoy everything on that list (although  _ choking… _ he’s not sure why the idea of Steve’s hand around his throat is so erotic but,  _ fuck _ , it really is), but he trusts Steve. He has all the information he needs in the packet. He has Steve's willingness to negotiate the contract, to end it at any time, to stop, no questions asked. Has his promise to  _ take care of Bucky, _ and as he imagines that... He hardly has to touch himself, hardly has a hand on his own dick, hardly has to run his hand along the throbbing hardness of it and he's coming already, thick white stripes hitting the wall and sliding down the drain. 

When he climbs into bed, letting Alpine back into the room to jump up next to him, crawling under the covers in his comfiest yoga pants, he looks at the contract one last time and places it carefully back into the envelope to take to Steve in the morning. He wants a chance to sleep on it, and then make the final decision to sign it with a clear head. No distractions.

And then, surprisingly, he sleeps. 

  
  


Bucky wakes with a smile on his face. And that more than anything has him signing the papers without hesitation. It’s been so long since Bucky slept well and woke rested, if it has anything to do with the orgasm he had in the shower, or the thought of Steve Rogers being out there, waiting to take care of all of Bucky’s needs and wants with enough enthusiasm to draw up an entire contract to that effect, then Bucky is ready to jump headfirst into the canyon of possibilities. 

He rides into the complex early the next day, signed papers in his backpack. It’s barely past seven but Bucky has yet to get out of the habit of being up with the sun. Usually he would go for a run, he would play with Alpine, he would try and strike up a conversation with his grumpy neighbour then give up and go get himself coffee. But today his restless energy is focused on one thing in particular, on one  _ man,  _ and he knows it’s not going anywhere until he gets to address all this with Steve.

He carefully pulls the envelope from the pack he leaves with his bike in the garage and heads to the lobby to sign in with security. Unfortunately the first person he sees when he gets there is a determined Nick Fury, walking straight for him. He’s looking relatively casual in a black henley and black jeans, his black leather eye patch digging sharply into the deep brown skin of his bald head. 

‘I’d like a word with you in my office, Sergeant Barnes,’ he says, staring Bucky down and then turning toward the elevators, not waiting for Bucky, not even looking back, confident he’s being followed.

Bucky doesn’t dare keep him waiting. He takes a few large steps to catch up and gets to Fury’s side just as the elevator opens to take them to Fury’s floor. 

They walk silently, and get to the office Bucky remembers as being the first room he’d been invited into in the complex. Fury had been gruff and aggressive at the time, and Bucky had assumed he’d bungled it horribly. But then he’d gotten a call from Maria the next day telling him to come in for training. That was only six days ago. 

His ‘training’ had been a shooting exercise he’d left uncompleted, called away for his first mission with the team. 

‘I assume you're on your way to see the Colonel?’ Fury says, not looking at Bucky, staring out the floor to ceiling windows, hands behind his back, while Bucky deliberates whether to take a seat or just stand by the desk like an idiot. 

‘I...yes, I have some paperwork-’

Fury holds a hand out to interrupt him and turns to look at Bucky. ‘I don’t need to know if you’re agreeing to it or not. I don’t need to know any particulars. What I do need to know is that this isn’t going to compromise your performance in the field.’

Bucky flinches at the accusation and Fury’s stance seems to relax, just a fraction, in sympathy.

‘It’s not going to be a problem as far as the Avengers are concerned - whatever the two of you do on your own time is none of my business - but I want you to know you're under no obligation to sign that.’

‘That hadn’t actually crossed my mind, to be honest,’ Bucky says, which is absolutely true. It had never occurred to him that that might be the case. 

‘Good, good,’ Fury says, nodding, ‘As long as you keep your relationship professional on missions, I’m happy for you to see each other personally, it’s not my job to police your love life.’

Bucky feels himself nodding along. ‘Is that… Is it normal for the Avengers to be drawing up documents like that between operatives?’ Bucky finally asks. The question’s been sitting with him ever since he’d opened the envelope.

Fury laughs and looks at him sharply. ‘No, Barnes,’ he says, pulling his chair out from behind the desk and sitting into it, crossing his leg to rest one foot on his knee. ‘The Colonel asked me to go over it. Wanted me to make sure I didn’t object to a member of the team being subjected to any of the “rules'' he's laid out.’ Fury steeples his fingers together under his chin and leans back in his chair, ‘He brought it to me instead of Stark. Now, normally, as the three founding members of the Avengers Initiative, we try not to keep shit from each other. But this is your private business.' Fury lets his hands fall to the desk and softens his expression. 'The Colonel just wanted to make sure your chances at receiving a full time position wouldn’t be threatened by the contract.’ 

‘Oh,’ Bucky says, swallowing, ‘A full time position?’

Fury hums. ‘A few of the team have expressed an interest in bringing you on permanently.’

Bucky can feel his chest expanding with warmth. He fights not to squirm in his chair. 

A permanent position.

‘You still have to fulfill a trial period,’ Fury continues, ‘But if you’re interested, we could use someone like you around full time.’

‘Oh I… Yes I’m…’ Bucky is nodding his head, stumbling over his enthusiasm to say fucking yes, he would be interested. Yes, he’d like to join. ‘I’d like that. I’d be interested.’

‘Good.’ Fury nods his head once. ‘Okay get out, go see the Colonel.’ 

And Bucky doesn’t argue, he gets up and is out of the office so fast it’s probably rude. He doesn’t have it in him to care about that right now. He’s back in the elevator and pressing the button for the fifth floor when the light goes out on five and comes in on three instead.

‘Good morning, Sergeant Barnes.’

‘Morning Jarvis,’ he says, looking up to the ceiling, ‘Is everything okay?’

'Oh yes, I just assumed you were on your way to see Colonel Rogers.'

'Well, yeah...'

'And he isn't in his apartment presently. He's in the common room getting breakfast.'

'Oh, cool, okay. Thanks, man.'

'You're more than welcome.'

Well, it wasn't Bucky's original plan. Going to meet Steve in the mess will be very different to how he might have greeted him at his apartment (Steve coming to the door dripping wet and in only a towel is an image Bucky is unlikely to soon forget), but he can adapt. 

It'll be fine.

He hadn't counted on Jane, Wanda and Scott all being at the table with Steve. Jane in white pyjamas with pink clouds and little yellow lightning bolts scattered across them, Wanda in black under armour, her long red hair in a messy top knot, Scott in blue hospital scrubs with one arm in a sling, and Steve, Steve in a deep green flannel shirt, open over a white singlet and grey sweatpants (thin, oh Jesus that material is so thin, it hides  _ nothing! _ And oh boy. Bucky is in so much trouble if the dimensions of what he can see under those pants are anywhere close to accurate). His hair is wet and slicked back, his beard neatly trimmed but so full, so luscious. Bucky didn’t manage to eat anything this morning and his stomach rumbles at the thought of biting into that jaw. God, he needs to get a grip.

Because they're all just… sitting around the table. Eating breakfast. With  _ Scott _ . Who’s being here is, as far as they know, a potential time travelling interdimensional threat to their existence... and Jane's just... helping him smear a bagel?

Steve, of course, is the first to spot him. His eyes are on him before Bucky's even fully stepped through the doorway. They look him up and down in his black skinny jeans and grey knit sweater, and stop to focus on the envelope in Bucky’s left hand. They widen just fractionally at the sight of it.

'Bucky!' Scott says, having looked up from his cream cheese laden breakfast, and found him in the doorway, 'Hey!'

'Uh, hey... yourself.' God. He is not prepared for making small talk with his teammates this morning, not while he's carrying around a contract that outlines how he’d like Steve to tie him up and make him beg.

Jesus.

'Hey Bucky,' Wanda says, and her smile speaks volumes. She knows  _ exactly _ what Bucky is holding in his hand. One perfect eyebrow is raised and her green eyes are lit up like a christmas tree. 

'Bucky!' Jane adds, hair a mess, mouth full of cinnamon bun, 'Hey! Guess what!'

'Uhh... what?'

'We figured out why you guys couldn't see Scott that first night he came through!'

'Oh yeah?' Bucky is trying to match Jane's level of excitement but he's too distracted. Steve is watching him, stoicism radiating, cradling a steaming cup of coffee between his large, ridiculously attractive hands, with one raised eyebrow and a crooked tilt to the corner of his mouth. His and Wanda's expressions are a mirror of each other, heightened by the fact that they’re sitting at right angles to each other. They just happen to be staring at Bucky rather than each other.

Poor Jane doesn't seem to notice anything amiss and carries on with her story, boundless enthusiasm pouring out of her. 'He can  _ shrink!' _

Wait, what? 'Wait, what?'

'Oh. Yeah, it’s my uh, well I mean it's not a superpower, per se, it’s just science I guess, but yeah, I use the suit to shrink down to normally the size of an ant, but for time travel, like super tiny. When I came through the quantum realm, I must not have increased to my normal size. So you wouldn't have seen me.'

'Oh my god, Bucky,' Jane says too fast and high pitched enough that he sees Steve wince, 'That's the other thing! They’re using the quantum realm! The actual quantum realm! To travel through time!'

'I... sure. What does that mean again?' He's always so lost when they start with the quantum physics. 

'It means all my calculations are off,' she says, and looks so happy about it Bucky can't help but give her a confused smile. 'It means I have a new place to start, Bucky! Bruce and I have actual substantial research to do. We might find a way to track and mimic the leaps through time!'

'Do we want to be doing that though? Isn't that just going to mess things up again?'

'Oh no, not to  _ do _ ,' she says with a laugh, like it’s the silliest thing, 'So we can get Scott home. So we can help the other versions of you two if they happen to get sent here too.' She says the last as she points her half eaten cinnamon bun at Steve and Bucky.

And yeah. Okay. That probably is something to celebrate. 

Bucky just... can't keep his focus too far away from the broad, blonde, lumberjack of a man to his right. Wanda is trying to keep her attention averted, looking into her cereal bowl, typing into her phone, but she keeps chuckling and glancing up at Bucky and it's supremely unfair. 

Meanwhile Scott is smiling around his cream cheese bagel. ‘You two look like you need some alone time,’ he says, waggling his eyebrows at Steve and the Bucky. And what. The. Fuck.

It’s freaking Bucky out that this stranger with the kind face somehow knows everything about him. Or is Bucky just  _ that  _ obvious…?

‘They what?’ says Jane, looking between Steve and Bucky again and then raising her own eyebrows, ‘Oh. Oh! Did you need us to leave?’

‘No!’ Bucky says quickly, ‘No, no. I was just... I had something to drop off with the Colonel, to Sir-  _ Steve _ ! To Steve, and I-’

‘It’s fine, Jane, thanks,’ Steve says, the rich timber of his voice thick and smoky in the early morning, ‘Bucky and I can discuss this elsewhere.’ He gets up out of his seat, no hint of hurry in his movement, rinses his cup in the sink, and places it in the rack to dry.

Steve looks over at Bucky and then heads for the door. One look is all it takes for Bucky to stand straighter, nod his understanding, and step in line to follow Steve into the hallway. He rushes a quick wave to the others who are smiling like assholes, winking at him as he leaves the room.

Honestly. 

Bucky follows Steve all the way to the elevator in silence. When they step inside he flashes back to the memory of Steve pressing him into the wall and has to blink the image of Steve closing in on him out of his system. 

This time there's no manhandling, Steve stands beside him and presses the button for five as the doors close. 

'Have you eaten this morning, Bucky?'

'No,' Bucky says without thinking, 'No time.'

'You didn't give yourself time to eat breakfast?' Steve asks, turning his head to look at Bucky, lifting that damn eyebrow.

'I... didn't,' he admits. Probably best not to start the day off with a lie, even if it might get him out of trouble. 

'It that something you do often?'

'No,' Bucky says too quickly. And Steve narrows his eyes like they might shoot lasers. 'I mean... sometimes? I mean, I wouldn't say  _ often _ ...'

'Hmm...' Steve hums, turning further around to face Bucky, though the elevator has stopped and the doors have opened before he gets any chance to elaborate. 'Shall we?'

'Yeah,' Bucky nods. He pushes off from the wall and steps past Steve, who is standing in front of the doors, holding them open for Bucky. Steve follows close behind him once he's through, but doesn't touch him. Doesn't violate his space. He's careful to stay far enough back that Bucky can't feel his heat and Bucky doesn't like that. He  _ likes _ Steve stepping into his space. He  _ likes _ Steve encroaching on him, crowding him, leaning into him. He  _ likes _ the feeling of Steve too close. 

It puts him on the back foot a little (a little more) to sense that Steve is not being himself, not feeling comfortable. But he doesn't get much time to think about it before they've made it to Steve's door. And Steve is reaching past him to place his thumb on the pad to let himself in.

'Sit down at the counter, I'll make you something.'

'Oh no, Steve, I'm fine-'

Steve stops him with a look. 'This is something we need to talk about, but you don't get to skip breakfast, okay?'

'Okay,' Bucky says, nodding, 'Okay, thank you.'

'You're welcome. Now sit down.'

Bucky does as he's told and props himself up on one of the bar stools at the counter. He watches Steve pull eggs from the fridge, along with a pepper, a tomato, cheese, something green - scallions? - and parsley. He finds he can't look away as Steve goes about cutting, chopping, cracking, slicing and whisking his way through preparing the eggs. He pours it all into a pan set on the gas burner, then watches it intently as it cooks.

It's a beautiful kitchen, much bigger and more modern than Bucky's. The counter is huge, with a sink in the middle, industrial style pendant lights hanging over it. Bucky wonders who Steve needs all this space for, but then, this is Tony Stark's compound. All of the apartments must be like this. He's not sure if he'd trade the love and character of his little Brooklyn pad for all this space and convenience. It's a little too sparse, a little too cold. Steve looks so competent though, so at home cooking here, so peaceful in his preparation, looking back over at Bucky between lifting and flipping the eggs in the pan. Bucky can see that having Steve in it already makes it warmer. 

Bucky's so lost in thought watching him, he barely notices that Steve has plated up in front of him, set a napkin down with cutlery, and is pouring him a glass of juice. He looks up as the food is set down and finds Steve watching him. 

'Eat,' he says, gesturing to the food. 'We can talk when you're done.'

They can talk. 

Bucky wants to talk, he does. But he's also nervous, so he lets the food distract him.

'You read it all, I'm assuming?' Steve says, taking the stool next to Bucky's and sliding the envelope beside him on the counter towards himself.

'Yeah, yes,' Bucky says, swallowing his first bite quickly and nearly burning his throat, 'Yes, I went through all of it.'

'And did you have questions?' Steve asks.

Bucky nods while he finishes his mouthful. The omelette is fluffy and sharp, it's beautiful, and he loves it. Loves that Steve cooked this for him because he wants Bucky to be taking care of himself. Wants to be taking care of Bucky. 'I have... yeah, I have a few questions.'

'Good. I was hoping we could go through what's been highlighted in the material,' Steve opens the envelope to pull out the paperwork and shuffle through it. 'And did you read the contract?'

Bucky nods.

'Do you...' Steve takes a second to clear his throat, 'Have you ever seen anything like that before Bucky?'

Bucky shakes his head, swallowing down a too big piece of pepper in the egg nervously. 

'What did you think?' Steve is parsing through the pages to get to the contract itself. 

'I thought it was umm... kind of hot?'

Steve looks up at him sharply from the contract in his hands 'You thought it was hot?' he says, and Bucky can see the hint of a smile on his lips, in his eyes.

'Yeah, I mean I... Umm... I sort of had to touch myself, you know? It had me feeling pretty good.'

'You touched yourself?'

Bucky nods.

'Really?' Steve' smile is getting bigger, but there's a twitch in his jaw again, like he's trying not to let it show. Then he glances back to the contract and does a double take. 'Bucky, you... what is this?'

Bucky feels something in him freeze. 'What do you mean?'

'This is filled out,' Steve says, shuffling through the pages, 'You've ticked everything.'

'Yes...' Bucky says, putting his knife and fork down, 'You told me to go through everything.'

'You... you signed it?'

'Yes,' Bucky says, turning to face Steve, 'Steve, you  _ asked _ me to.'

'I wanted you to read it so we go through it today, together.'

'I did read it,' Bucky says, ducking his head so he can catch Steve's eyes as they scan through the contract, 'I read it, and I liked all of it, and I signed it.'

'You liked all of it?' Steve asks, looking up and into Bucky's eyes finally.

'All of it,' Bucky says, 'I mean, I guess the trial period makes sense, so that's fine, and all the rules make sense, sound like fun, what's not to like?'

'You understand what you'd be giving me?'

'Nothing that you're not giving me, right?' Bucky asks, because this is a contract between two people. Bucky’s not the only one signing something over here. 'You've got to sign it to.'

'Yes, but-'

'You're giving yourself over to me too.'

'I mean I... not in the same way.'

'You're promising to look after me. To listen to me. You're trusting me to - to respect your safeword if you need it.'

'Yeah,' Steve is slowly nodding, his head is tilted, like he's puzzling Bucky out, 'Yes, I am.'

'And I get to decide when I've had enough. If I don't like something?'

'You do, of course.'

'I trust you, Steve,' Bucky says, reaching a hand out to tap his finger on the section of the contract Steve's put down on the counter, 'And this contract says that you trust me too.'

Steve takes that information on board and waits a beat before he replies. 'I do,' he says finally, nodding, 'It does.'

‘So, then what’s not to like?’

‘You’re happy for me to be privy to the results of your physical exam?’

‘I get to see yours too, right?’

‘Right.’

‘Then yes.’

‘And you’ll wear a collar, during our scenes,’ Steve’s fingers are restlessly brushing lint from his sweatpants, ‘When we play?’

‘Yes, Steve.’

‘Good, that’s good,’ he says, looking back at the contract, ‘Bucky, you’ve circled  _ everything _ under the to-be-decided section,’ then looks back to Bucky, ‘You’ve underlined choking.’

‘Well, most of that I haven’t done.’ Bucky smiles as Steve licks his lips, ‘And some of it I’d  _ really _ like to try, but we’ve got a month right?’ 

It’s Steve’s turn to nod.

‘Then I want to try all of it,’ Bucky says with a shrug, holding Steve’s gaze, ‘I want you to teach me.’

‘Oh, Buck,' Steve leans himself closer to Bucky, his eyes are fixed on Bucky’s and there’s so much heat there, it sets something alight in Bucky. 'Baby, I want to teach you  _ everything _ .’

Bucky is practically vibrating out of his seat at that look in Steve’s eyes. The way his voice slides down his skin, so warm and deep and full of promise. ‘You do?’ he asks, turning his body into Steve’s. 

‘I want to give you everything you want,’ Steve says, reaching up to brush a thumb across Bucky’s bottom lip, ‘I want to take such good care of you, Bucky.’

And Bucky can feel himself letting go. Can feel himself giving into how much he wants that from Steve. ‘I want you to,’ he slides off the chair and down to his knees, kneeling in front of Steve, ‘I’m ready, Daddy.’

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay - read straight on! Chapter 5 is waiting for you - go, go, go!
> 
> If you wanna come chat with me, you can find me [here](https://darter-blue.tumblr.com/) on tumblr or [here](https://twitter.com/beclouise13) on twitter


	5. I'm Ready, Daddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Steve puts his hands on Bucky’s black trunks, slips his fingers into the waistband and looks up at Bucky. ‘Ready, baby?’
> 
> Bucky is looking down at him, at Steve looking up from beneath those thick black lashes, with eyes so blue Bucky could swim in them. Steve’s handsome face holds none of its usual snark and sarcasm, expression open and honest and full of affection, and Bucky feels something in him crack. Oh, he’s in so much trouble here. But he’s going to relish in it, for as long as he can.
> 
> ‘Ready, Daddy.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all know the drill... you know how we got here... you know what you want.
> 
> Keep reading. I promise you'll get there.
> 
> ❤ ❤ ❤

Steve sighs like he’s letting go of something heavy, his face goes soft, and he reaches out a hand to run through Bucky’s hair. ‘Oh baby boy, you’re so good for me already.’

And at those words Bucky just melts. He can feel something in him settle. He can feel Steve’s fingers card through his hair, run along his scalp with a soothing pressure. He lets his head tilt back so that he’s looking up at Steve and his hands rest on his knees.

‘We’re going to start slow,’ Steve’s fingers continue to massage into Bucky’s scalp, ‘Anything you don’t like, you just tell me. If you feel like I’m not listening to you, you use your safeword.’

‘Yes, Sir,’ Bucky says softly.

‘What’s your safeword, Bucky?’

‘Alpine.’

‘Alpine?’ Steve asks, fingers keeping their gentle rhythm.

‘My cat,’ Bucky answers, ‘What’s your safeword, Steve?’

‘My safeword is Brooklyn.’ His voice is so deep it’s practically vibrating in Bucky’s chest. ‘It feels like home,’ he says with a shrug, ‘It’s where I feel safe.’

Bucky nods, He’s not sure if he’s meant to answer everything but it seems like a good idea to err on the side of caution. 

Steve reaches over to the counter with his free hand to write something into the document, their safewords probably, and then signs the pages with a short, sharp flick of his wrist.

Steve slides his fingers down from the top of Bucky’s head, along his cheek, his jaw, and then cups it in his commanding grip. ‘Jarvis will act as your spotter, Bucky,’ he says, keeping Bucky still, ‘I don’t intend that we’ll ever need him to intervene, but he’s always there if you feel like you need him, do you understand?’

Bucky nods.

‘Tell me, Bucky.’

‘I understand.’

‘Jarvis?’

‘I’m here, Colonel,’ Jarvis says, the voice, as ever, coming from the ceiling, ‘I shall alert a third person of Bucky’s choosing at any time he requests it, or at any time I feel your actions compromise his health and safety beyond a reasonable measure.’

‘Thank you, Jarvis. Would you like to nominate someone, Buck? Otherwise the default is either Fury or Stark.’

‘Wanda,’ Bucky says without thinking. He knows it’s the right choice immediately, can feel the nerves settle in his chest. The fact that it elicits another tick in Steve’s jaw, and a slight squeeze to the fingers gripping Bucky's chin, sends a private thrill through Bucky.

‘I have noted that down, Sergeant,’ Jarvis says.

‘Can you release the results of our latest physical examinations please Jarvis?’ Steve asks, stepping closer so that Bucky could lean down to rest his head on Steve’s thigh if he wanted. 

‘Certainly, Colonel. Both you and Sergeant Barnes are in perfect health. All blood work returned negative results to the full range of sexually transmitted infection tests. You both have excellent hemoglobin, platelet and t-cell counts. Apart from slightly elevated but within acceptable parameter blood glucose levels for Sergeant Barnes, you both exceed the physical fitness standards for the Avengers program.’

Bucky winces at the way Steve’s eyes narrow.

‘High blood glucose levels?’ Steve asks.

‘But within acceptable parameters,’ Jarvis reiterates.

‘I think we might need to chat about that later, Bucky.’

Bucky isn’t sure exactly why his blood glucose levels are any of Steve’s business, but he imagines that Steve is going to assume his ‘Taking Care of Bucky’ role very seriously. It seems best for now to nod his head and reply, ‘Yes, Sir.’ When Steve tilts his head up even further, gets a grip on Bucky’s hair with his other hand to pull it back, he feels a surge of adrenaline - like this is the start of something important, and Bucky is never going to be the same again. 

Steve leans down and brings his head closer to Bucky’s. ‘I don’t have a collar for you yet, baby,’ he says softly, ‘Will you let me put you in some ropes today? Just around your arms? To keep them behind your back for me?’

‘Yes, Steve, Yes.’

The hand in his hair tightens painfully. ‘It’s Sir, or it’s Daddy, baby, when we play. Understood?’

‘Yes, Sir.’

‘Good boy.’ Steve lets his grip on Bucky’s hair loosen. ‘Will you stand up for me? Come with me into the bedroom.’

‘Yes Sir,’ Bucky rises as gracefully as he can to his feet and follows Steve through the open plan kitchen and living area to the larger of two bedrooms. It’s huge, of course. A king sized bed with a beautiful stained timber headboard and soft grey bed linens is pushed against the middle of the back wall, bracketed by matching bedside tables. The windows are floor to ceiling glass, and they open onto a balcony overlooking the rear grounds of the Complex. Bucky can see a door that opens into what seems like a ridiculously huge ensuite, and another one to a walk-in closet that might be the size of Bucky’s own bedroom. 

Once they reach the foot of the bed, Steve turns around to face Bucky, and reaches for the hem of his sweater. ‘I’m going to undress you now, okay baby?’

‘Yes, Sir,’ Bucky says on a whispered breath. He can feel Steve’s knuckles on the bare skin of his waist and he’s so ready for this he feels like he’s on fire. 

Steve raises Bucky’s shirt slowly, brushing those knuckles all the way up his stomach to his chest. Bucky lifts his arms so that Steve can grip the fabric in two hands and slip it over Bucky’s head. He folds it up and places it on the bed.

‘Sit here for me,’ Steve’s deep voice rasps as he pats the bed where he wants Bucky to sit. Bucky does as he’s asked. ‘Good boy,’ and Bucky can’t help but shiver that shoots through him at those two little words.

Steve kneels down at Bucky’s feet to pull off his boots, placing them neatly on the armchair to the right of Steve’s bed, by the window. He reaches down to run his hand up under Bucky’s jean leg, get a grip on the top of his sock, and slide it down and off. He does the same to Bucky’s other leg and folds the socks, places them inside Bucky’s boots.

‘Up,’ he says, tapping Bucky on the calf, sitting back to wait for him to stand before kneeling and placing both hands on Bucky’s waistband.

Bucky tries and fails to keep the ‘oh, god,’ from his lips as Steve’s fingers reach in and brush against Bucky’s hipbone. He looks down at Steve on his knees in front of him and has to bite into his lip as hard as he can to stop himself from saying any more. 

‘Patience, baby,’ Steve says with a sly smile, and Bucky wants to groan at that look on his face, but he holds it back, not sure how loud or quiet he’s allowed to be. Steve’s fingers deftly work the fly of Bucky’s jeans open, and wrap around the waistband to slide them down Bucky’s legs, using his infinite grace to effortlessly pull them over Bucky’s thighs and then knees, lifting one of Bucky's feet and then the other to slip them off. He folds the jeans, too, and places them on the seat of the arm chair. Steve stands and moves Bucky’s shirt to rest atop his pants. 

Finally, Steve puts his hands on Bucky’s black trunks, slips his fingers into the waistband and looks up at Bucky. ‘Ready, baby?’

Bucky is looking down at him, at Steve looking up from beneath those thick black lashes, with eyes so blue Bucky could swim in them. Steve’s handsome face holds none of its usual snark and sarcasm, expression open and honest and full of affection, and Bucky feels something in him crack. Oh, he’s in so much trouble here. But he’s going to relish in it, for as long as he can.

‘Ready, Daddy.’

He watches Steve’s eyes close, watches him sigh out a breath, swallow, and look back up with a hunger Bucky can’t fathom. 

It’s beautiful.

‘Good boy,’ Steve whispers, and he leans his head into Bucky’s hip as he slides the trunks slowly down. Down over Bucky’s thick thatch of dark pubic hair, down over his straining cock that springs free of the elastic gladly, to stand almost flush against Bucky’s stomach.

Steve reaches down and down until he can slip the underwear off Bucky’s feet and lay them gently on top of Bucky’s other clothes. He runs his hands up the backs of Bucky’s thighs and looks up at him, nuzzles his face into the crease of his groin. Then he sits back and stands in one fluid motion, running his hands all the way up Bucky’s body to land on his shoulders, and then pushes down gently. Bucky follows Steve’s unspoken direction and sinks to his knees. 

‘Good boy.’ Steve takes a step away from Bucky and turns to the closet, coming back out moments later with soft, dark red ropes and a small black cylindrical device. ‘I’m going to tie these ropes around your forearms, okay Bucky?’

‘Yes Sir.’

‘Turn around for me.’

Bucky turns so he’s facing the bed and Steve has access to his back.

‘Arms behind your body.’

Bucky does as he’s told, placing his arms behind his back.

‘This is a load bearing knot, Buck. If you pull, it won’t tighten around your wrists, okay? And if it feels too tight, you tell me straight away.’

‘Yes, Sir,’ Bucky says, mostly to appease Steve. He’s no stranger to being tied up. Although most of those occasions have been through training or in a few very memorable circumstances, capture. He can feel that Steve is putting the pressure of the ropes above Bucky’s wrist and away from vulnerable tendons. As Steve works, Bucky feels himself calming, the ropes winding around him, binding him, making him feel strangely safe. 

Steve gives them a pull to test the knot, and Bucky can feel that none of that tension makes it to his wrists - it must all be in the centre mass of the rope. It makes him smile, reassures him. Steve might want to restrain him, but he isn’t going to hurt Bucky. 

Steve stands and guides Bucky to turn around by pulling gently at his shoulders. Bucky lets him, follows him, and is soon on his knees again, at Steve’s feet. This time with hands secured behind his back. 

‘Can you move your hands, baby?’ Steve asks, and Bucky tests them, wriggles his fingers behind his back. ‘Good boy,’ Steve grabs the device from the bed behind Bucky. ‘Can you hold this for me?’ he places the small cylinder into Bucky’s hand and moves his thumb over the end to find a button, ‘You press that for me if you need me to stop, if you need me to back off but you can’t say your safe word, okay?’

Bucky nods as best he can.

‘Press it now for me, baby. Test it please,’ Steve asks, and Bucky does. He presses his thumb down on the button until it clicks and a beeping noise, loud and insistent, shouts out at them from the device, ‘Okay, good, you press it if you need me to stop and you can’t talk, okay?’

Bucky nods again, pressing the button down twice to make it stop, and then letting his thumb off it so he can reach it if he needs to, but isn’t keeping any pressure on it. 

‘I want you to open your mouth for me, baby,’ Steve says, ‘Nice and wide, okay?’

Bucky does as he’s asked. He looks up and can see the heat in Steve’s cheeks, the flush creeping down his chest above the wide neck of the singlet he’s wearing under his open flannel shirt.

Steve puts his hand under Bucky’s chin and tilts his head up, steps in and lines up his groin with Bucky’s mouth. He uses his free hand to reach into his sweat pants and pull out his cock; long and thick, uncut, and absolutely beautiful. Bucky feels himself leaning into it, wanting to get his mouth around it, but he catches himself before he does. He hasn’t been told to yet.

‘You want this in your mouth, baby?’ Steve asks, low, gruff. ‘You want me to fuck that beautiful face of yours?’

Oh god, does he.

‘Yes, Sir,’ he says, nodding, ‘Yes, please.’

‘Such good manners, baby,’ Steve says with a smile, ‘So good for Daddy.’ And he doesn’t waste any time sliding his cock between Bucky’s waiting lips. 

He pushes far enough for Bucky to feel his lips stretching, to feel his face resist it, and then pulls back out.

‘Oh, Buck, you have such a pretty mouth, baby,’ Steve says, and pushes back in. The combination of Steve’s giant cock sliding along his tongue and the sound of those words washing over him have him closing his eyes. ‘Na-uh!’ Steve says sharply, threading a hand into Bucky’s hair to tug his head back. ‘Open your eyes. You watch me, baby.’

Bucky nods as much as he can with his head held fast and his mouth full of supersoldier cock. His eyes are watering, his lips are straining and he’s staring up into Steve’s gorgeous face. He could die pretty happily like this. He feels so fucking good. 

‘Perfect,’ Steve says, staring back down at Bucky, and as he says it, he pushes in even further, pushing his cock as far back into Bucky’s throat as it will go, Bucky relaxing it as much as he can. Suddenly Steve pulls back, only to slam back in. 

Oh  _ fuck _ .

It’s hard, and it maybe hurts a little but Bucky doesn’t register it as pain. Instead, it feels like a gift. Like sharp, hot, overwhelming sensation thrust into him, and when Steve pulls out and slams back in again, Bucky can’t stop the moan from breaking free of his too full mouth. Steve is filling him up, crowding him in, wrapping around him, holding him... it’s all so much, and he moans again.

‘You like it, baby boy?’ Steve asks, slamming in again, pulling out, ‘You like Daddy filling you up like this?’

Bucky tries to answer, tries to nod, but he has no voice, has no purchase, and the idea that he’s so helpless to Steve right now has his eyes closing again with satisfaction. The second he does, a painful tug on his hair has them snapping open again.

‘That’s right, you look at me. You don’t look away,’ Steve says, pulling out and slamming back in, faster now, snapping his hips. ‘You don’t move, baby’ - snap - ‘you make all the’ - snap - ‘noise you want,’ - snap - ‘but you don’t move,’ - snap - ‘and you’ - snap - ‘do’ - snap - ‘not’ - snap - ‘come’ - snap - ‘Understand?’

Bucky is getting lost in the thrusts of Steve’s hips, so hard now that his cock is hitting at the back of Bucky’s throat, and Bucky is having trouble catching his breath, he can feel his head start to get lighter, can feel Steve’s hand in his hair getting tighter. He nods his head as much as he can, because yes, he does understand. He doesn’t get to come until he’s told. He doesn’t get to move unless Steve moves him. He’s at Steve’s mercy now.

But he can make noise, Steve said so, and so he lets his throat do what it wants to do, he lets it moan and flex around Steve’s cock. He lets himself start to lose control, trusts Steve to hold him steady, and he stares up into those blue eyes that are staring back down at him, wide with awe, pupils dilated, mouth beginning to go slack, and he watches as Steve’s head starts to fall back. 

‘Oh, I’m gonna come, baby,’ he says, so low it's almost a growl, ‘I’m gonna come on your pretty face.’

And Bucky is trying to say yes, please, yes, because the thought of Steve’s come hitting him like that, marking him up, has his own dick pulsing against his stomach it’s so hard. 

Steve gathers himself enough to look down at Bucky, frantically trying to nod through Steve’s hold on him, and Steve’s whole face goes slack as he pulls out and thick, hot ropes of come hit Bucky’s lips, his chin, and dribble down his chest. 

Bucky can’t get his tongue out fast enough, he wants to taste it so bad. But Steve, with one hand still in Bucky’s hair, holding tight, places the thumb from his other hand gently against Bucky’s lips to keep his mouth shut. 

‘You want to taste me?’ Steve asks.

Bucky nods, shaky and lightheaded. He can’t actually answer because Steve’s thumb is holding his lips closed.

‘Next time, baby, okay? Next time I’ll come right down your throat.’ Steve moves his face close to Bucky’s, darts his tongue out to lick his own come off Bucky’s lips and then presses a soft, chaste kiss to the corner of Bucky’s mouth.

Bucky’s heart just about beats right out of his chest. 

‘Wait here, pretty baby, I’ll be right back.’ It feels like hardly a second passes before Steve is back with a warm cloth to wipe Bucky’s face and chest, and to lay a huge towel over the bed. ‘How do you feel, Buck? Do you want to rest, or would you like to try some more?’

‘More!’ Bucky’s voice is scratchy and hoarse, but he can’t say it fast enough. ‘More please, Daddy.’

Steve’s smile is brighter than the sun. ‘Oh yeah?’

‘Please,’ Bucky begs again. He can’t even guess what Steve might have in store for him next, but he’s not ready to let go of this feeling. And Bucky’s body can take so much more of this.

‘I seem to remember you having a punishment waiting for you.’

Oh god. He does. He needs to be punished for his insubordination. ‘I do,’ he says, barely above a whisper, ‘I was bad.’

‘You interrupted me.’

‘I did,’ Bucky rasps out, nodding.

‘You questioned my judgement.’

Bucky just keeps nodding. ‘I did,’ he whispers, ‘I’m sorry.’

‘I think you deserve something special for that baby, hmm? Not just a regular punishment, but something special for our first time, what do you think?’

Bucky wasn’t wrong, the sound of Steve’s deep, beautiful voice is sending him into a state he might never recover from. Oh god, what might his punishment be? He wants it, whatever it is. He wants Steve to take him and use him and put him in his place. He wants Steve to  _ ruin _ him. It feels so fucking  _ good _ .

He’s nodding away, his head is feeling loose from all the movement, ‘Whatever you say, Sir. I trust you.’ Bucky can be good now, he can take his punishment like a champ, can make Steve proud. ‘You know best, Daddy.’

‘Oh, I do,’ Steve is practically purring, ‘I do, I know just the thing.’ He’s standing over Bucky, carding his hands through Bucky’s hair again, softly now, carefully. ‘Up you get, baby, on the bed.’ He lifts Bucky up with a gentle grip to his upper arm and helps him as he stumbles to stand, letting Bucky use him for support until he can find enough purchase to stand on his own. ‘On your front, baby boy,’ he helps Bucky follow his instructions, helps him up onto the bed on his stomach, hands still tied behind his back. Steve maneuvers Bucky into position so that his knees are on the bed, spread as wide as they can go, his ass is in the air, and his face is turned to the side. It’s comfortable, it’s totally exposed, and Bucky’s body is struggling to settle on a state somewhere between vibrating out of his skin and sliding into happy contentment. 

He can see Steve shrug the flannel shirt off and place it with Bucky’s clothes on the chair. Oh, Steve’s shoulders are so huge, his muscles thick and hard under smooth golden skin. His chest is straining out of the material of his ribbed singlet and Bucky could watch him all day. He could just stare at all that on display, and tied up like he is, exposed as he is, he could probably make himself come just like this.

Steve steps back behind Bucky and slides a hand up the back of Bucky’s thigh. Slides it all the way up to the curve of Bucky’s ass. ‘I get to taste you, baby,’ he says, climbing up onto the bed behind Bucky and leaning his head down to speak into Bucky’s ear, ‘I’m going to fuck that beautiful ass of yours with my tongue, baby, and you’re going to love it, aren’t you?’

Bucky nods his head erratically into the bed, because yes, that sounds amazing. ‘I am, I will,’ he says, quickly adding, ‘Sir,’ when he remembers Steve’s rules.

‘Good. Good boy. You’re going to love it, baby, but under no circumstance are you allowed to come. Do you understand?’

And oh  _ god _ . Oh  _ fuck _ . Bucky is so close to coming already, there’s no way he’s going to be able to hold out once Steve puts his mouth on him. 

‘I don’t...’ Bucky can’t even say it, ‘I can’t...’

‘You can do it, baby,’ Steve’s face is so close, he’s running his nose up along Bucky’s jawline, that fucking beard brushing against Bucky’s throat. ‘But would you like Daddy to help you?’

‘Yes,’ Bucky nods slowly, careful not to knock Steve away, ‘Please.’

‘Okay, good boy.’ Steve disappears and is back in a second with something black and plastic, like a small silicone rope with baubles on it. ‘This is a cock ring, baby,’ Steve says, close enough to look Bucky in the eye, but far enough away that Bucky can see the tube of expensive looking lube he’s put on the bed and the cock ring that Steve’s holding in front of him. The rope is looped over like a bolo tie, held together by the baubles so that it has two rings, not just one. ‘It’s a double ring, so one to go over your cock and the other can slip under your balls,’ he holds open the two rings with his fingers, ‘Can I put this on you, Bucky?’

Bucky can see that it will be tight, but that will help, he knows it will. There’s no way he’s going to be able to do that on his own, though, so he nods. If he hates it, he can just ask Steve to take it off.

‘Will it hurt?’ he asks, looking up at Steve, who’s watching him with a slightly wary expression. 

‘It might, a little. It’s tight.’

‘Will you take it off if I don’t like it?’

‘The second you ask, it’s gone,’ Steve says, laying a hand on Bucky’s shoulder, ‘I promise.’

‘Okay,’ Bucky says, looking between the ring and Steve. ‘Yeah, okay.’

‘What was that Baby?’

‘Yes, Sir, yes. Can you put it on me please?’ and Steve’s hand runs all the way down Bucky’s back to tap him lightly in the ass. 

‘Good, now be still for me, sweetheart.’ Steve moves down to place a hand under Bucky’s stomach and lift it off the bed. Bucky uses his thighs and his core to stay up for Steve so that Steve can rub lube up and along his dick (don’t come bucky, don’t come, you can do this, you can be good). He loops the first ring over his cock and the second under his balls, just like he said, then adjusts the baubles so that it fits snug. 

Bucky can’t help but gasp at the sensation of Steve pulling it tight. He can feel the orgasm building and can feel it stop at the ring. It’s uncomfortable but doesn’t hurt, the lube allowing it to sit against his skin without any friction.

‘Feels okay?’ Steve asks.

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Good, just relax again for me, put your head down, that’s it,’ Steve says as Bucky lays his head back down on the bed. ‘You can make noise baby, you can move if you need to, but you don’t come. Understand?’

‘Yes sir.’

‘Good boy.’

Steve slides around and positions himself behind Bucky, and he’s so close Bucky can feel the warmth of his body. Can feel the cotton of his sweatpants brushing against the skin of Bucky’s thighs. Steve’s hands settle on Bucky’s hips and he leans some of his weight into Bucky. 

‘Oh Buck,’ he says softly, ‘You have the most gorgeous ass.’ He’s rubbing circles into Bucky’s hips with his thumbs as he talks softly to him, and Bucky is glad as ever for the cock ring. He can feel his orgasm straining against it, just from the weight of Steve’s body against him, just from the sound of his voice. ‘That first day you came to see Nick and you had those black pants on, so tight, so damn tight, Buck.’ Bucky remembers wearing his most respectable outfit to the interview. He remembers thinking he’d gained some bulk since he’d last had to wear those pants and worrying that it was going to look unprofessional, but not having the time or the money to do anything about it. ‘You were so beautiful, Buck. I watched you walk away, into the lobby, and I wanted to follow you. I wanted to find out everything about you.’ 

Steve’s starts to lean down heavier on Bucky, and he can feel the weight distribution change. He feels Steve’s face get closer to his ass, feels Steve’s breath against his skin. 

‘And then Fury said you were gonna be starting with us, Buck, and I was scared to meet you,’ Steve is rambling a little as he starts to nuzzle his nose into the crack of Bucky’s ass. His beard along the soft skin of his cheeks sends a sharp stab of want through Bucky. But he can’t move, can’t turn any further to see Steve, can only let himself be pressed down into the bed, and oh, that’s a good feeling. It’s a  _ safe _ feeling. ‘I was so worried you might see right through me, the way I wanted you.’

‘I wanted you,’ Bucky whispers, ‘I wanted you so much.’

‘I know, baby,’ Steve says, and Bucky can hear the smile in his voice, ‘I could tell.’

‘Oh  _ god _ ,’ he knew that, but Jesus that’s embarrassing. 

‘You sweet boy, do you know how crazy I was going, wanting to touch you?’ Steve slides his hands down to Bucky’s cheeks and spreads him wide, ‘Wanting to taste you?’ He presses his tongue against Bucky’s hole and Bucky exhales his held breath at the softness of that touch. ‘Now I get you all to myself, baby boy.’ And then his tongue presses harder, licks around the muscle of Bucky’s hole, and he flinches into the bed at the sensation. It’s warm and soft but the pressure against his skin is enough that it shoots sparks up into his groin. He can feel his breathing start to get faster and louder. His hips start to respond, rocking back into the pressure of Steve’s tongue, chasing it as it circles, teases, and finally pushes carefully into his hole. It’s good, it’s so good, but it’s not enough. 

Bucky can feel the warmth building, can feel it come and go in waves as Steve starts to lick harder, faster. He can hear Steve’s breathing intensify too, can feel him moaning against his skin. And he can feel the scratch of that beard against his skin, rougher and more insistent as Steve gets more enthusiastic.

His orgasm wants to break free, but it’s been held back by the cock ring, and it’s starting to hurt. Rather than dampen it, that pain, all the pain, makes the pleasure feel so much more intense. The scratch of Steve’s beard, the oversensitivity of his hole under Steve’s tongue, the tightening of the cock ring around his balls, around the base of his shaft… each sensation intensifies the next, bombarding Bucky’s senses until he’s squirming under the overwhelming attack of all of it at once. 

‘Jesus, Bucky,’ Steve says, pulling back and then darting his tongue back in. ‘Fuck, you taste good,’ and he pushes his tongue into Bucky harder, faster, until he’s fucking him with it just like he promised. ‘Taste like salty peaches baby, just like a fuckin peach,’ Steve is babbling between fucking his tongue in and out of Bucky, and Bucky has no control over himself anymore. He’s pressing his hips back into every thrust of Steve’s tongue. He’s rubbing his face into the bath sheet underneath him, humping back into the bed with his trussed up cock, desperate for release he’s not allowed to have.

He wants to scream into the bed, wants to cry out. He knows he’s allowed to make noise, but he’s afraid of what he might ask for if he does, so he holds it back as best he can, whimpering and moaning, his breath catching on every inhale. 

Tears blur his vision as his cock leaks steadily onto the bath sheet below, and he can feel himself getting more and more erratic. He might come, he might not be able to hold it back, even with the cock ring. It’s too much, all of it building up behind a dam that’s about to break and he cries out, ‘Steve!’ in the moment, desperate for he doesn’t even know what, but he needs  _ something. _

Steve pulls back as soon as the word has left Bucky’s mouth. ‘What’s wrong, baby?’

‘I can’t, I can’t…’

‘What, what is it?’

‘I’m gonna come, I can’t hold it,’ Bucky says, gasping for breath, ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Ssh,’ Steve says, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around Bucky from behind. ‘Ssh, no you did good, baby, you did so good.’ He slides his arms under Bucky’s chest and lifts him up like he weighs nothing, sitting back and pulling Bucky into his lap. ‘You did so good,’ Steve is running his hands up and down Bucky’s arms, still tied behind his back. ‘How are your arms, Buck? Are they okay?’

Bucky takes a second to assess his body. He feels like he’s getting whiplash from the sudden shift in mood, but it feels so good, Steve pulling him into his lap, calming him down. His arms are a little sore, but they don’t feel numb, no pins and needles. He says as much to Steve.

‘Good, that’s good,’ he lifts a hand up to lay a palm over Bucky’s forehead and pulls his head back onto Steve’s shoulder so Steve can nuzzle into his neck. ‘Did you want to stop now? Are you tired, Buck?’

‘No,’ Bucky says, softly but clearly, ‘I want to keep going. I want more.’ He wants to come, but not like this. He wants to come with Steve inside him.

‘What do you want, baby?’ Steve asks softly, pressing a kiss into the side of Bucky’s neck.

Bucky turns his face up to look at Steve, ‘I want you,’ he says, looking up to catch Steve’s eye, ‘I want you to fuck me, Daddy.’

‘Oh god,’ Steve says, closing his eyes and letting his head fall forward into Bucky’s shoulder. ‘Jesus Christ, Buck.’

He can feel Steve’s enormous dick slotted up behind his ass as he sits in his lap, and can feel how hard it is through his barely-there sweatpants. Bucky grinds himself back against it and thrills at the way Steve’s breath catches.

Steve lets go of Bucky’s arm and puts his hand around Bucky’s throat. Bucky stops immediately, but Steve isn’t applying any pressure. It doesn’t hurt. It’s meant to restrain, not punish.‘You want me to come inside you, baby?’ he says into Bucky’s ear. ‘Want me to fill you up, baby boy, till my come is dripping out of you?’

‘Oh fuck,’ Bucky says on a breath, ‘Yes,’ he wants that so bad. ‘Please, Daddy.’

Steve reaches for something, still with one hand around Bucky’s throat, and then slides his other hand under Bucky’s ass. ‘Just like this, baby?’

Bucky nods, he tries to say yes, he does, but the words won’t come. His breath is caught at the tight hand on his throat. He can breath, but it’s a little harder now. 

Steve slips a finger into Bucky’s hole, loose enough for Steve to get his finger to the knuckle just from Steve’s tongue. ‘Loose for me already, huh baby boy?’

Bucky nods again, small and strained because he can barely move his head, can’t talk at all.

  
  


‘Gonna open you up now, baby,’ Steve says, and he slips that finger back inside Bucky, sliding it all the way in this time. ‘So warm for me, Bucky, so soft,’ he says, whispering the words into Bucky’s ear, that hand still tight around Bucky’s throat.

Bucky can barely move. Steve has maneuvered his legs to staddle Steve’s lap and they are spread wide over Steve’s huge thighs. His back is arched where his hands are tied behind him, his head leaning back into Steve’s shoulder, Steve’s other hand under his ass. He can feel his erection growing again, getting ever more insistent as Steve’s finger gets more aggressive in its ministrations. He’s rocking his hips into Steve’s lap, the little that he can, and Steve takes his hand away to get more lube, then returns with two fingers. 

‘I’m gonna need to take that ring off,’ Steve says, low and husky in Bucky’s ear, ‘But I wanna wait till you're ready, so I can slide into you while I do, okay baby?’

Yes, it’s okay, Jesus fuck. He wants it off so he can come, and he wants Steve inside him when he does. Steve knows exactly how to give Bucky what he wants, he’s so good to Bucky. Bucky nods and when Steve's hand tightens just a little more, Bucky can feel that his breath is labored now, that he’s struggling for it, just a little. He checks his grip on the alarm and it’s good, he can press it if he needs to. He feels his vision start to swim in and out a little and he turns his head as far back as he can, arches his back into it, so that he can look up at Steve and tell him what he wants with his eyes. He wants Steve to do it, he wants him to do it now. 

‘Patience, baby, patience,’ Steve says as he scissors his fingers inside Bucky, adding a third, burning as it presses into Bucky. But the pain is dull compared to the pressure of Steve’s hand around his throat, the ache of his arms trapped behind his back, the ring where it's starting to bite into his cock. Where he can feel his orgasm waiting, ready to burst through its restraints. 

Bucky uses all his strength to look up at Steve from under his lashes. Watches Steve’s espression falter as he looks at him, and Bucky rasps out, ‘Please,’ from his raw, throttled throat. 

Steve stretches to kiss Bucky’s cheek, sweaty and messy, rubbing his beard against Bucky’s ear. ‘Okay, baby boy, okay.’ He removes his fingers and Bucky feels him pushing his sweatpants down, getting them out of the way. He can feel Steve rubbing the lube up and down his huge cock, getting ready to slide into Bucky, and then he feels the uncut tip press gently into his hole. ‘Okay, I’m gonna take this off now, baby, ready?’

Bucky nods as best he can.

Steve keeps his hand around Bucky’s throat as he reaches the other around and pulls Bucky’s hips down into his lap, impaling him on his cock. It’s big, it’s so big, so much bigger than his fingers, but Bucky is loose and Steve’s cock is slicked up. The stretch burns, but Bucky bares down, lets out a breath as Steve pulls him down, and it doesn’t hurt more than it should. 

Steve lets go of Bucky’s hip and lets him push himself the rest of the way as he puts a hand under his dick and deftly pulls the ball bearings free, opening up the rings and freeing Bucky’s cock. And then Steve pulls back and thrusts up into Bucky again, harder, as everything that’s been building up in Bucky just explodes. His back arches as he strains against Steve’s hand on his throat, choking himself as he comes hard, harder than he can ever remember coming before, all over Steve’s hand resting gently around his cock. All over his stomach and thighs and up and onto his chest, and his vision goes black around the edges, but Steve has let go of his throat enough that suddenly Bucky can breathe again. He sucks in air as his vision clears, and leans his head back against Steve. Steve, who pulls out and thrusts back into Bucky as he bites into Bucky's earlobe and whispers how good Bucky is, how beautiful he is, how he's perfect, so perfect, and Bucky is just sucking down as much air as he can get, gasping and letting his body come down, letting all the praise make his head light and floaty. Now that he can breathe, can speak, he lets the alarm fall out of his hand.

He’s not even thinking, he’s just feeling, and he’s feeling so fucking good, so cared for and precious. He turns his face, no longer held in place by Steve’s hand, and he captures that mouth, the mouth whispering so sweetly to him. He captures it with his lips and he lets himself pour all his feelings, all his pleasure, all his release, into the press of his lips against Steve’s.

And Steve... for a split second, Steve freezes, and Bucky is about to pull away because oh fuck, maybe he read it wrong, pushed too far, mistepped. But then, just as suddenly, Steve comes back to himself and surges into the kiss and returns all of it, all of what Bucky is feeling and then some. And it’s perfect. 

Steve wraps an arm around Bucky’s chest and slides the other up to cup his face, helping him turn further so Steve can get better purchase on his lips, can lick his tongue into Bucky’s mouth. Then he thrusts up into Bucky, and he’s coming, pulsing into Bucky, filling him up, whispering Bucky’s name into his mouth like a promise. Like it means something.

Bucky lets Steve run his beautiful, long, strong fingers up and down Bucky’s arms, his chest, his thighs, as he feels his body begin to calm, feels his mind begin to float back to a real place. It’s a feeling he wants to hold onto, the tenderness in Steve’s touch. 

Eventually he feels himself lifted off Steve and placed gently down on the bed on his stomach. He can feel Steve’s come leaking out of him, and feels Steve pulling at the ropes binding his arms. ‘Let’s get these off of you, baby,’ he says, sliding the ropes off and rubbing vigorously up and down Bucky’s arms where the ropes have pressed their marks into his skin. ‘How do your arms feel? Are they numb?’

‘No, they’re okay,’ Bucky says, his voice gravely and broken. He wiggles his fingers and there’s some pins and needles, but it’s nothing he hasn’t had before. Not much worse than falling asleep with his arm under his pillow. He starts to sit up, though he’s a little off balance, and Steve wraps a hand around his upper arm.

‘Just take it easy,’ Steve takes Bucky’s weight and helps him sit up on the bed. ‘Are you sore? Does it hurt anywhere?’

Bucky wants to say no, to ease Steve’s worry, but he also knows it’s important he checks in with himself. It’s not easy; he still feels dizzy, a little out of it, but he uses his combat training to dig down and centre himself. Do a self care check. His ass is sore, a bit raw, but nothing more than what he’s used to after sex. His arms ache a little from being bent behind him for so long, but that’s easing already, like after a tough workout, and he’s not bothered by it. His throat is sore. It’s taken quite a pounding, first from Steve’s supersoldier dick, then his unwavering hand. He’s excited to see the bruises (not so much about what Wanda is gonna say when she sees them), but it does feel like he might not be able to talk right for a while.

‘My throat,’ Bucky says, the words are slow and slurred, and Bucky feels a little like he’s had too much tequila. Steve winces at how scratchy the words sound. ‘I feel fine otherwise,’ he adds, leaning into Steve, so tired now that the adrenaline is wearing off.

‘Let me see,’ Steve carefully puts a hand under Bucky’s chin to see the damage and he tutts at what he finds there. ‘That looks like it hurt, baby.’

‘Felt good at the time,’ Bucky murmurs, smiling, and Steve raises his patented ‘bitch please’ eyebrow at him. Bucky just rolls his eyes in response, which makes him dizzy all over again.

‘It’ll be better when we have the collar,’ Bucky smiles at how wistful Steve sounds. ‘Let me just...’ he gently moves Bucky so he can sit down beside him and then pulls Bucky into his lap, cradling Bucky into his body and resting Bucky’s head on his shoulder. He pulls the comforter up and over Bucky, wrapping all the warmth and softness around him. Bucky feels Steve reach out for something, and then Steve is pressing the mouth of an open bottle of water against his lips. ‘Slowly, Buck.’ Steve cards his hands through Bucky’s hair, just enough pressure to feel like heaven, and Bucky closes his eyes to it. ‘That’s it, Buck. Just relax.’

Bucky hums into Steve’s shoulder and Steve responds by tightening his arms around him. Bucky is snuggling with Colonel Steve Rogers right now. Every fantasy he’s ever had has somehow come true this morning, and as amazing as all that sex was, he thinks this might be his favourite one so far.

‘Sir,’ Jarvis’ voice interrupts, though he’s quieter than he normally sounds when addressing them.

‘Jarvis?’ Steve asks.

‘I’m taking the liberty of reminding you that you had the peach danishes delivered this morning in case Sergeant Barnes was dropping by.’

‘Yes, I did, thank you, Jarvis.’

‘And also, I was thinking a nice cup of chamomile tea might be in order?’

‘Thank you, Jarvis,’ Steve says, and though his voice is completely devoid of exasperation, Bucky can feel a hint of it in the way his fingers dig a little harder, the way his exhale comes out a fraction more forced. But Bucky never did finish his breakfast, and he’s always had a sweet tooth.

‘Danish sounds good,’ Bucky says, looking up at Steve, ‘And maybe some honey in the tea?’

‘Oh?’ Steve asks, both eyebrows raised at the question, ‘I can get that for you Buck.’

‘Might help my throat.’

‘Of course,’ Steve says, and he makes an aborted move to get up, ‘Would you like it now? I… don’t really want to let you go yet,’ and his expression is so priceless, looking more open than Bucky has ever seen him.

‘Could I have a shower first?’

‘Yes, but only if you let me help you.’

‘Sure,’ Bucky says, his heart rate picking back up again at the idea of stepping into the shower with Steve. Steve starts to get up off the bed with Bucky still in his arms and Bucky makes a strangled squeaking noise at the manhandling. ‘You don’t have to carry me!’

‘Let me look after you. Please, Bucky?’ Steve says, a touch stern in his deep, reasonable voice, ‘I seem to recall you signing the clause where after care is  _ non-negotiable. _ ’

‘How bout you let me  _ lean on you _ ,’ Bucky compromises, still struggling to scratch the words out, ‘And that way I don’t feel like you’re trying to carry me over the threshold or something.’

‘Okay, fair,’ Steve says, a blush creeping up over his beard and across his nose.  _ Oh _ , Bucky likes that, ‘But only if you  _ really _ lean on me.’

‘Yes, Sir,’ he says, biting his cheek to keep from smiling. Steve looks a little reluctant, but he puts Bucky down, keeping one arm around Steve’s shoulders and basically taking all of Bucky’s weight. 

The bathroom is as ridiculously ostentatious as Bucky imagined it would be, but the shower has three shower heads, a built-in seat, and enough room for the whole of the Avengers team to stand inside it, so Bucky’s not going to complain. Steve runs the water to a set temperature and helps Bucky stand under the stream once the steam starts rising. The warm water feels so fucking good on his skin that Bucky just lets it run over him and closes his eyes. He opens them again when he feels Steve’s hands on his shoulders, digging in to work out the knots there, strong and deft as ever. Bucky leans back into the touch and lets himself rest into Steve’s hands.

‘So,’ Steve says, leaning down over Bucky’s shoulder and pressing his lips to Bucky’s ear, ‘Are we going to talk about that kiss?’

And  _ oh _ , Bucky had thought that maybe they could just forget about that, let that slip by, unnoticed. But no. Daddy Steve Rogers needs to have  _ everything  _ out on the table. 

‘The ah… the kiss?’ Bucky asks, feigning innocence.

‘Taking liberties without asking for permission,’ Steve says, husky and deep, lips pressing on Bucky’s ear lobe, ‘Might be something we need to work into the contract.’

‘I was hope-’

‘Sir,’ Jarvis’ voice interrupts, ‘Pardon my interruption-’

‘The tea can wait, Jarvis,’ Steve says, looking up at the ceiling.

‘Of course, Colonel. However, Director Fury is attempting to contact you, Sir. Quite insistently.’

‘Is everything okay?’ Bucky asks, looking at Steve and then the ceiling, blinking back the fatigue from this morning at the trace of haste in Jarvis’ voice.

‘It seems that Doctors Banner and Foster have traced back the origin of one of the past instances of loop quantum gravity and believe that a traveller may have come through at that time, from Mr. Lang’s original timeline.’

‘Thank you, Jarvis,’ Steve says absently, he’s staring at Bucky with the kind of horror that’s probably mirrored in Bucky’s own face.

‘Does that mean,’ Bucky starts, running a hand over his face, ‘Does that mean it could be one of us? One of our other selves?’

‘Tell them we need half an hour, Jarvis,’ Steve says, sliding a comforting hand around Bucky’s waist.

‘The Director says you can have ten minutes, Colonel.’

‘Great,’ he looks down at Bucky, worry clouding his expression ‘Are you up for it?’

Is he up for it? A doppelganger version of himself with robot arms and tortured brainwashing... endlessly searching for an alternate version of Steve, whom in every timeline seems to be tethered to Bucky somehow...

How bad could it be?

  
  


‘Always,’ Bucky says, looking back up at Steve. Like he said to Fury, this, whatever it is they’re doing, their  _ relationship _ , won’t interfere with his operational work. Bucky might just stay on his feet for a few hours though and not sit down, if he can. And maybe not stand anywhere near Wanda during the briefing. It should be fine. ‘Steve, this is exactly what I signed up for.’

  
  
  
  


**Big Note** : a second series is coming, from Steve's point of view, where we go searching for the new traveller, help return Scott to his timeline, and explore Steve and Bucky's burgeoning relationship...

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it!
> 
> I have to say a big thanks to [Kalee60](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalee60) f and [ixalit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ixalit) for being two of the most amazing human beings on the planet. 
> 
> I have to thank Stucky Bingo for giving me this amazing opportunity. Without the daddy kink square I don't think I would have ever had the guts to attempt a fic like this. 
> 
> And lastly, dear readers, I have to thank you. All your amazing comments, all your love and support, all the championing, the cheer-leading, the encouragement, the kind words. All of it feeds my soul. It gives me the motivation to press on, to keep writing, to give my silly old ideas LIFE. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for taking this journey with me.
> 
> And guess what! We get to do it all over again.
> 
> Because Part 2 - a continuation of the story from Steve's POV - is coming soon...
> 
> as always: If you wanna come chat with me, you can find me [here](https://darter-blue.tumblr.com/) on tumblr or [here](https://twitter.com/beclouise13) on twitter


	6. Update - Part 2 is on it's way!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi all - this is just a quick update to make you aware I'm turning this into a series for anyone who wants to subscribe to jump on and get the updates.
> 
> First chapter of Part Two: Sergeant Barnes and Colonel Rogers: the Trials and Tribulations of Dating in the Workplace will be posting on Sunday 8thNovember (that's Australian Central Time)

Hi all -

This is just a quick update to make you aware I'm turning this into a series for anyone who wants to subscribe to jump on and get the updates.

First chapter of Part Two: **Sergeant Barnes and Colonel Rogers: the Trials and Tribulations of Dating in the Workplace** will be posting on Sunday 8thNovember (that's Australian Central Time)

In the meantime - here is a small one shot companion piece that I wrote, featuring a Bucky who may make an appearance in this sequel: [Stolen Time](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27297289)

Can't wait to see you all again soon!!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Cover Art] Sergeant Barnes and Colonel Rogers: A Love Story (series) by darter-blue](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27732697) by [Bookbee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookbee/pseuds/Bookbee)




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